Best of Hermitage

The SW-facing legendary hill of Hermitage with just 140ha of vineyards rises above the town of Tain l’Hermitage in Northern Rhone and is dominated by the holdings of M. Chapoutier and Paul Jaboulet Aine.

Their flagship Le Pavillon and La Chapelle are arguably the best Syrah expressions on the planet. These 2 names are equally important to the world of wine as, for example, Classified 1st Growths of left bank in Bordeaux.

We were privileged to taste and compare
2004 M. Chapoutier Ermitage Le Pavillon Hermitage (95+)
2007 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Hermitage La Chapelle (92)

We kicked off with 2007 Delas Frères Crozes-Hermitage Le Clos (91+) to calibrate our palates.
This is a single vineyard cuvée. 100% Syrah grapes come from a “Clos”, located on the “Les Chassis” plain, on the left bank of the Rhône river. Tiny production of 3-7K bottles only in best vintages.
Aromas of stewed black fruits with hints of leather and game. Well balanced with lighter body. Wine was at its peak and showed almost on par with Hermitage.
Delas now owned by Louis Roederer

Both Le Pavillon and La Chapelle were uncorked 10 hours in advance and poured in carafe 2 hours prior to serving to give them some air & open up a little bit.

Le Pavillon which was unanimously voted as the wine of the tasting showed high level of concentration. Still on a primary fruit stage, but already developing more complex aromas. Bouquet of black & red very ripe fruits seasoned with white pepper, touch of smoked meat and layers of leather and vivid stone minerality. Fruit comes exclusively from own biodynamically cultivated 4ha plot of Les Bessards climat on the top of the hill (344m) famous for its granite soils.
Winemaking: 70yo vines, destemmed, vinified in small oak vat, aged 18-20mo in 30% new oak barriques, unfiltered.

La Chapelle was still at its infancy. Very juicy and youthful with green tannins. Hints of chocolate, licorice.
Blend of 2 climats: Les Bessards & the limestone of Le Méal also converted to biodynamics in 2006. Incredibly low yields of 15-20 hl/ha. Aged in French 20% new oak.

All wines paired nicely with 40 days dry aged steak served medium-rare.

Nice!

What is the badminton birdie emoji? (Or is that a weird-looking pineapple?)

Than one meant to be a medal which stands for Rating followed by numeric score xx/100 in brackets.
Hope that explains ))

That looks like a delicious meal and my preferred way to taste great wines - in the context of a proper food pairing with plenty of time to see the wine develop and change in the glass.

Cheers,
fred

YEAH! And why is the corn so small over there?!

While I can argue the claim about being “the best syrah in the planet”, and that’s beside the point, the TNs and photos are great!

Thanks for sharing!

No Chave in a best of hermitage tasting?

+1.

Wonderful report! One thing you don’t see too much of from U.S. posters: a picture with an ancient cathedral in the background

Perhaps the argument is that Chave is simply Chave and therefore beyond Hermitage? (I think Sorrel is the second best Hermitage producer, personally, but other people’s mmv.)

No one drinks Chave any more. It’s too popular.

Dead at retail too.

This is a very “brave” statement …

Not only JL Chave is a worthy competitor for the “the best Syrah expressions on the planet”,
there are also several Cote-Roties … and some might also say “Cornas” to consider.
Moreover the question is still open if the “new” La Chapelle made by the Frey family is a “real typical Hermitage” compared to the wines of the last century …
AND concerning Chapoutier: there is also the “L´Hermite”-cuvée usually on par with Le Pavillon …