TN: Chave Hermitage Blanc

WINE TALK
1

Chave Hermitage Blanc 2009
Pale with a hint of gold. The nose is great, very floral with complexities of hay, cashews, violets, meal, honey and peaches. Very rich, intense and powerful on the palate with layers and layers of different flavours emerging. Additional notes of sweet spices, apricots, comte. Silky caressing texture, an amazing amalgam of power, weight, complexity and elegance. Perfect acidity defining individual flavours. 98

Chave Hermitage Blanc 2007

Has a little more depth of colour, deeper gold. Showing more development on the nose, similar aromas of meal, honey, flowers, nuts and stone fruits but heavier, seems to be from a hotter year. The palate is richer and thicker in texture than the above wine but lacks the poise and elegance of the 2009. Very complex with notes of apricots, peach, almonds and honey, a lovely rich wine. 94

2

Great wines and notes Wayne. I had the 2003 earlier this year and it was an amazing experience.

Cheers, Howard

3

Love those chave blancs - used to resent having to buy them as hostage wines!

4

Yes, now I wish I had more. My last vintage was 2003 before importers changed…

5

An 04 (I think) last year was one of my top tastes ever!

6

The price is a bit of a bugger also.

7

Here, they sometimes get packaged with the red. You can either buy both and view that 2/3 of the price is the red (which cuts the price of the white), or you can wait 5 years for stores to get ‘hung’ with the white and start to discount. At $125 or so, I’m a buyer!

8

Mike - I had no idea the importer has changed. I basically stopped getting offers regularly so stopped buying, and when I did get offers they were at double what I used to pay. Who’s bringing it in now?

9

Hostage wines or simply “hostages”?

These are $200-300 wines. Yeah, they were fun when I used to buy them for $40-50, but not anymore. Any wine at the current price is a wine taking hostage.

10

Not that it diminishes much of the point, but according to WS Pro, these are $69+ wines

11

I meant “hostage wines” meaning you had to buy blanc to be allocated rouge. The price is now much higher, I guess reflecting how it compares to, say, GC burgundy. Shame, but that’s how it goes.

12

A bucket list wine, but my bucket list is too damn long anyways. Thank you for the note.

13

The $69 wines are a different bottling under the negociant label.

-Al

14

Rauno, Maison Vauron bring it in. I think they have the 2011 for around $275.00, talk to Scotty. Cheers Mike

15

Al,

I checked WS Pro and showed 1992s and 1993s for $69. I also have smattering of 1998s to 2004s purchased for under $140 per. Btw, I didn’t know that Chave used to make these under the negociant label.

16

Okay, although the discussion was about much more recent and highly regarded vintages, so if you post “these are $69+ wines”, you may be misinterpreted.

-Al

17

Al,

With the flow of the thread, it appears that the discussion flowed into any vintage Chave Blanc as a hostage. Doesn’t matter, as the point was made clear about “hostage” wine.

Again, my question, and personal curiosity: At what point was Chave Hermitage Blanc a negociant label?

18

Chave has a negociant label, JL Chave Selection. They sell an Hermitage Blanc called Blanche that sells for around $70, plus or minus, in recent vintages.

-Al

19

The scary thing is that these were not negotiate labels but the real thing…I know we are a long way a way but the current retail price in NZ for the 2009 is $450 NZ$, currently on special for $367 NZ$
…they are really good thought [wow.gif]

20

For what it´s worth: both red and white H. are exactly the same price off domaine (and YES you have to take both … at least out of politeness) - the rest is simply retail policy afterwards …

(I´m speaking of the domaine bottling, not the negociant “Farconnet” J-L Chave selection)