2022 - Hermitage l'Ermite Rouge, M. Chapoutier

The classy 2022 Ermitage L'Ermite wafts from the glass with intense red fruits, pencil shavings, crushed violets, tobacco leaves and cedar subtleties. Bundling tremendous energy on the full-bodied palate, the 2022 is packed with polished tannins and culminates with persistence on the complex finish–quite ambitious.

Like much wine from Chapoutier this year, the 2022 Ermitage l'Ermite is brooding, slowly unfurling with notes of licorice, violet, bacon and smoke mingled with carnal/animal-like notes. Medium to full-bodied, rich and dense, it's concentrated with a structured, grippy tannic frame complemented with a muscular mid-palate and a firm, licorice and carnal-inflected finish. Despite being somewhat dry and rustic, the telluric power of the terroir allows this wine to remain approachable and distinctive, giving it a balance and control that might elude other wines under similar conditions.

Cask sample. Ground coffee and earthy graphite notes on the nose, intense notes of crushed violet and rose petal as well as a meaty and savoury note. Really powerful mid palate with a concentrated and super-intense fruit core that is packed full of fruit, spice, lavender, meat and game. The tannins are compact, tightly wound and driving the core of exceptional fruit. So much potential but I expect this to shut down for a while. (AC)