Chave.

• 1999 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
  I somehow had the impression that this wine was far darker and brooding than how it showed today. Next to the other vintages, this showed a little brutish and stern, with a wall of tannin behind a mix of red and black fruit. Relatively sweeter compared to the cooler wines, but obviously not over the top at all. This feels distinctly unready and would happily benefit from additional time in the cellar. As to the whole Jean-Louis/Gerard regime change, I don’t think that this bottle (and the younger wines) demonstrates as distinct a cutover as bantered about. There are certainly many other different factors at play than the winemaker here. (93 pts.)
• 2000 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
  I don’t think that this bottle showed as well as my previous experiences with the wine. It certainly feels far more resolved and soft versus the 1999 and 2001, and there’s a slight hint of brown that seems to be creeping into the fruit here. This doesn’t have quite as much mineral precision, and just felt a little fuzzy and out of focus on the palate for me. Nevertheless I do stand by my previous contention that this is a relatively mature bottle of Chave that would be profitable to age now. (93 pts.)
• 2001 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
  From magnum. Probably my favourite of this first flight. Darker complexioned than I would have expected for 2001, but with fantastic acidity and minerality on the finish. This is very much a structural, acid-driven edition. This felt very young – perhaps a function of the bottle format, and I found that the aromatics became far more intense when I revisited it later in the evening. Quite pretty and enjoyable right now, but there is certainly no harm in further aging. (95 pts.)
• 2002 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
  This is a real sleeper of a wine. A terrible vintage, but a phenomenal effort resulting in no slouch of a wine. Not as layered and complex on the palate, but a fantastically approachable bottle of Chave to drink right now. Somewhat soft and not particularly structural, but with lots of charming red fruit. It’s pretty clear that this doesn’t have the material to really reach old bones, but there’s definitely a need to have a few vintages for drinking on a Tuesday. The 2002, which massively overperforms for the vintage, fits the bill. This was actually one of my favourites out of the younger wines, just for its sheer drinkability. (93 pts.)
• 2004 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
  I’ve been very bullish on this particular wine in the past, but today, I don’t think it performed as well as some of the bottles I opened before. This does have a little more of the smoked meat/briney character of syrah, but it just felt a little simplistic. A slight animale note detracted from an otherwise very clean wine. The texture is consistent with my other experiences – it’s a silky smooth, resolved wine that is really nice for drinking now. (93 pts.)
  
  
  
• 1994 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
  This was one of the vintages I was most excited to try, but our bottle was very, very corked. NR (flawed)
• 1995 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
  This bottle was probably the odd one out in the late-90s flight. Way more menthol on the nose here than probably any other wine tonight, with a little bit of smokiness as well. Quite possibly a little bit of brett as well. On the palate, despite the tannic structure, this felt a little thin and lacking breadth, but because of the large tannic presence, I didn’t get the sense that this was ready to drink either. Kind of in a weird spot right now. (93 pts.)
• 1996 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
  From magnum. I’ve always been suspicious of this vintage because of a dodgy bottle (whose flaw I never identified) a few years ago. Yeah, not really rational. Anyway, this bottle was very different from that. An exuberant, explosive nose with generous red fruit and still some juiciness on the palate too. There’s a little leather on the nose, giving this a slight animale note. Lighter in texture, in a more acid-driven style and a huge contrast to the 1997. (95 pts.)
• 1997 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
  Have very much loved this wine the last time I had it, and so was very excited to get to revisit it. From the late 90s, this might be my favourite vintage tonight. It’s generously proportioned with lots of sweet black fruit, and a sort of precision where you can almost pick out the individual small bits of fruit. The mix of black fruit and the crystalline composition works really nicely here. Absolutely enjoyable now, but also only upside. (95 pts.)
• 1998 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
  A very meaty nose, but also with a distinctly dusty/powdery quality on the nose. There’s a slight coconut tone on the palate that may well be from the oak. Clamped down pretty hard, and definitely not very interesting at the moment. Hard to get much out of this wine, besides a whole lot of tannins on the finish. Not too enjoyable today, but time should soften this wine. (90 pts.)
  
  
  
• 1986 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Blanc - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
  Definitely my favourite of the whites tonight; I think the moral of the story is to truly age these wines (the young ones were not very good, but this and the 1988 were somewhat interesting wines). A nose with some peach aromas, this is a fully textural wine on the palate. Not too oily, but there’s definitely a good amount of waxiness, finishing with a note of bitterness to cut through that thickness. I still prefer my white wines with more acidity, but I actually understood this wine for once today. (88 pts.)
• 1988 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Blanc - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
  Nowhere as interesting as the 1986, but very much in a similar vein where you have a waxy texture that’s cut by bitterness rather than acidity. Unfortunately, the nose on this had a really unpleasant sulfurous stink/cheesy note that was really hard to get past. Especially strange that I quite liked a bottle of this wine a few years ago. These white Rhones can be maddeningly inconsistent. (85 pts.)
• 2003 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Blanc - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
  A very interesting wine, especially with the 2005 next to it, in that this actually didn’t feel like the highest alcohol/ripest wine there was. The fruit profile is incredibly sweet, and you almost think you’re getting a dessert wine, but then you realize the palate is bone dry, there’s no acidity, an oily texture, and a bitter finish. This was mercifully not as intense as the 2005. (83 pts.)
• 2004 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Blanc - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
  This felt like it was inbetween the 2003 and 2005 in terms of flavour profile. It was unmistakably white Hermitage, but with more fruit on the nose than the other two young whites. A slight bit of browning seems to have crept in as well, which further reduces the amount of freshness that this wine has. Heightened bitterness on the finish, but overall this just doesn’t feel very much integrated. (83 pts.)
• 2005 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Blanc - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
  I had a lot of trouble with this wine. Couldn’t really find anything to appeal to me here. It tasted somewhat oxidized, with too many aldehydic notes, as well as floral hand soap and beeswax. On the palate, this is incredibly slick (in a bad way) and finishes with an intense herbal bitterness. Sort of the poster child of white Hermitage for me, and why I just can’t get into these wines. (70 pts.)
  
  
  
• 1978 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
  What a wine to be corked. Some at the table didn’t think so, but even tasting the wine, it just didn’t seem like there was anything I missed. NR (flawed)
• 1979 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
  Absolutely no slouch of a wine, this was Chave in a Burgundian guise. A nose with tart red fruit, and mature syrah perfume. There’s a leathery note that evokes old Rioja. A very light touch here, with crystalline precision to the red fruit here. Silky textured with tart cherries hiding underneath the acidity. Fully mature and a stunning wine to taste. (95 pts.)
• 1982 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
  This was a very voluptuous and fruit-forward (still!) bottle. A slight bit of herbaceousness on the nose to start, but then you get really quickly to all the sweet fruit that is still here in multitudes. It’s an expansive, rounded wine, with loads of intensity and a fully resolved, silky texture. Between the intensity of the fruit, the subtle notes of smoked meat, and that rounded, broad palate presence, this was easily one of my favourite wines tonight. (98 pts.)
• 1985 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
  This was definitely better than a bottle that I tasted a few months ago (which I thought was corked). This comes off as somewhat middle of the road, and obviously in isolation this would be a marvelous bottle of wine to open. But given the company tonight, this may have gotten a little bit lost. There were a few stinky notes on the nose that I feel really detracted from the wine, but otherwise, the palate showed a pretty textbook display of fruit (mostly red, but drying), meaty notes, good acidity, and reasonably resolved tannins. Maybe a touch of iodine as well, leading to the possibility this wasn’t the best bottle of this wine. (93 pts.)
  
  
  
• 1988 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
  Corked. Fortunately we had a backup… NR (flawed)
• 1988 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
  …but I just don’t think that this bottle showed too well either. It seemed a little volatile and I kept getting periodic whiffs of something that seemed too close to TCA for comfort. Then again, I’m probably overly sensitive to it. This was a thinning wine; tart red fruits and just weak and emaciated on the palate. Angular acidity and tannins both. I’ve certainly had better bottles of this before and can only chalk this up to bottle variation. (90 pts.)
• 1989 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
  I keep chasing the high of the first bottle of this that I ever opened. This bottle didn’t get anywhere near there. A somewhat mute nose, showing little but some earth and iron tones, and maybe a bit of syrah acidity and smoke as well. The palate was much better; plenty of fruit still but lacking the complexity that I remember this wine having before. Again, like the 1985, this would have been a fantastic wine in isolation, but as part of the 1988-91 quadruplet, it really got lost. (93 pts.)
• 1990 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
  A very impressive wine, no doubt about it. This is intensely fruit-forward, sitting readily on the black side of the spectrum as opposed to red. Massively scaled with an intensity that the older wines just didn’t have, this has a roundness and fullness on the palate that is very impressive. Next to the 1991 however, this felt a little brutish and clumsy, but that’s really nitpicking here. Ample acidity, especially for a wine with this much intensity of fruit. I get the sense that this may have been even more impressive a few years ago, but I definitely missed the boat on that. (95 pts.)
• 1991 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
  This was the vintage I was the most excited to taste tonight, and boy did this bottle just hit it out of the park. Incredibly complex and layered, with classic syrah smoked meat notes supplementing an array of red and black fruit on the nose. The palate is similarly detailed and complex, with intense notes of all the above very well delineated. Fruit that isn’t as rounded and sweet as the 1990, but with lovely acidity to balance. A lengthy but shapely finish. I love that this has both the intensity and concentration, but a vein of acidity coursing through it, giving an electric, dynamic excitement to the wine. Legend. (100 pts.)
  
  
  
• 1996 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Vin de Paille - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
  From half-bottle. A very interesting dessert wine; quite sui generis. The nose and palate is intensely apricot-driven, but there’s a little melon to it as well. Low in acidity and moderately sweet, but with a thin texture that is surprising given that. Far less waxy and oily than the white Hermitages, with a lengthy, brown-sugar tinged finish. A real treat to try a true unicorn. (95 pts.)

Fantastic set of wines and I really loved the way you conveyed your impressions of them. I was fortunate to have picked up a good supply of Chave from '83 through '90 vintages back when I was exploring the Northern Rhone. I really loved the '88, '89, and '90. I subsequently started buying what I could afford from Kermit Lynch presale, starting with the '97 vintage. My supply dwindled in the mid-2000s and I have only been able to pick up the odd bottle in recent vintages. It has been a long time since I have indulged in one of my precious remaining mature bottles. I like the white more than you do. It’s unique for sure.

Cheers,
fred

Thanks for the data point on the 1999. Looks like I will be sitting on these for a while yet. Hope with time it turns into something like the 1991…

Sitting on a bunch of these, 2001 and earlier, and so appreciate the notes.

Well done!

Shame about that ‘78, one of my favorite wines of all time.

Sadly a very expensive bottle to be shot…

Yeah, I think my dislike of white Rhone is no secret… The older ones were definitely much better but still not something I’d be keen on drinking a full glass of.

You are not alone. Lacks acidity. For white wine you shall look to the north - east. To the land of the best Savignin and Chardonnay while it is affordable

Thx for these insights.

I’m with you on Chave whites — I try and try, but total emperor’s new clothes wines for my taste. But, hey, I’m a Philistine!

Thanks for the notes. My thoughts: One of the few vintages I don’t like is ‘99. It is over the top for my palate. I own a few 2002s but I haven’t had it in a long time so glad to see it is drinking OK. I think your ‘98 was not right. Every time I’ve had it, it has been great. I so agree with you on the ‘91! What a great wine! And I’m with you on the whites….just not my thing. Too bad about the ‘78. Another great wine although on the downside at almost 45 years old.

The 91 was one of the best if not THE best rhone wines I have had. I am with you on the whites. The 78 10 years ago was a killer wine. Very elegant and complex but not so lush.

I thought the 91 was as good as any wine I’ve ever had. I was spewing random expletives every time I smelled it. I liked the 86 Blanc (though it faded when revisited a couple hours later) a lot more than Adrian, but also struggle with the younger vintages. Maybe they just need the extra bottle age. My top five reds in order were 91, 90, 82, 00, and 96 (with 85, 95, 97, and 01 right there with 96). 02 was surprisingly good, though I felt it faded a bit while 01, 96, and 98 improved over the course of the night. The Vin de Paille was incredibly complex, and to Adrian’s point, such a treat.

Thanks for the notes. What a lineup.

That '91 is really something. Had it twice and still think about it often.

I found the 99 to be “fine” but less exciting than most of the other reds. I liked the 98 more than Adrian (in the same ballpark as the other vintages I mentioned that were just a hair outside of my top 5), and it tasted consistent with other bottles I’ve opened recently. That said, I agree that it shows a little younger than the 95-97 and 2000 that were really strutting their stuff. I wonder if both the 98 and 99 just need more time in bottle, but I had a slight preference for the 98.

One other wine where I was maybe a bit out of consensus was the 79. I liked it, but not as much as any of the 80s wines, save perhaps the 88.

Thank you for taking me along on this journey!! Great notes

Well, white Hermitage (Chave and almost all others) is a special kind of wine …
from cask enourmously attractive (fruity, exotic, minerally) … and also during the first years from bottle …
then it usually closes down for years … (like this 2005, which I had young and have in the cellar, but not tasted since) …
and it can taste dull and “not-giving-anything” …
after 15, 20+ years it´s a different wine, much darker, nutty, chewy, roasted almonds … can be great but definitely not for everybody …

If you don´t like it that way, either drink it 1-3 years after bottling … or avoid it completely … there is no other solution.

White Hermitage is an immensly long-living wine … Jean-Louis Chave once served us a bottle from 1933, just to prove the longivity …
it was fresh like a 25 year old wine from a great vintage with great power and complexity …

Yes, Gerhard. I was a bit unfair to say emperors new clothes, which implies people are being fooled or just being polite when they say they like older white Rhônes.

Many people with great palates enjoy them. It’s just not a wine for me.

Agree, you’ll save a lot of money simply avoiding H.blanc in the future …
for instance I know people who don’t like aged white Burgundy at all … so what …

great notes Adrian. I feel the same about the Hermitage Blanc

It’s an easy pass, isn’t it?