-
2000 M. Chapoutier Ermitage l’Ermite - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage (10/15/2010)
What a difference a year and a half or so makes! Opened for 2 hours, decanted for another 2, this just showed brilliantly. Absolutely intoxicating nose. Super complex, so much going on, yet it was so beautifully integrated that I could hardly pick different scents out from the whole melange. There were sour cherries, bluberries underneath, bluebells, integrated oak notes, deep-set, rather savoury licorice, soy and earth smells and some strange high-toned Japanese momo peach and citrusy / waxy gooseberry hints. Some distinct peppery spice notes emerged as the wine opened up with time. There was some glycerol in there, which I usually do not like, but this actually added to the mix rather than distracting from it. Absolutely beguiling. Really great palate too. Rich, deep, resounding, yet incredibly balanced, and surprisingly elegant, even more so than the Pomerol we had alongside. There were solid meaty notes, fragrant black peppercorn flavours, reams of dark fruit and savoury earth spiked with a touch of incense and licorice. Nice sappy finish too, with fresh acidity washing through fresh cherry and dark chocolate flavours. A world of difference from the bottle last year. While the other was rather tight and brooding, this was absolutely singing. I can only see this getting better and better. Yum! And, as an extra bonus, this actually paired incredibly well with Elsa’s chocolate and raspberry jam cake. The acidity in the wine was a nice relief to the sweetness of the cake, and the raspberry and chocolate in the cake just brought out lovely raspberry and chocolate flavours in the wine. It was an even better pairing with the cake than the red-wine beef stew! Who would have thought? (95 pts.)
Posted from CellarTracker