2019 - Hermitage Blanc, Jean Louis Chave

Tasted in components. #1) Peleat: Emphatically floral, with powerful pear, Meyer lemon qualities, building iodine, fennel and mineral notes. #2) Rocoules Haute: Pungent citrus fruits, pear skin and jasmine on the nose. Weighty yet lithe as well, showing serious intensity to its sappy orchard and citrus fruit flavors. #3) Rocoules mid-slope: Spicy and incisive, showing sharp definition to its fresh yellow plum and orange flavors. Mineral notes build with air and add fine delineation and back-end cut. #4) Roucules Bas: Richer still, displaying an array of ripe orchard and pit fruit qualities and building floral and mineral notes. A hint of tangerine emerges with air and adds energy to lingering peach nectar and pear liqueur notes.

Chave's 2019 Hermitage Blanc delivers just the merest hint of toasted grain on the nose, accenting green peaches and waves of honeyed richness. It's full-bodied and concentrated but not overdone, with tremendous length and a hint of bitterness on the finish that left me wondering if this wine will need 20 years to show its best, or if it was still suffering a bit from being bottled in July 2021.

Marsanne and Roussanne.Deep gold in colour. This smells lovely but seems more tertiary that I had expected, with oxidative notes of soy and mushroom alongside livelier aromas of ginger, bruised yellow pear and white pepper. It is very intense and persistent on the palate and bears its elevated alcohol gracefully. (JRL)