Hermitage Rouge Chave 2013

Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Rouge 2013 is a full-bodied single-vineyard red wine produced from Syrah grapes in the northern Rhône Valley. With prized vineyard holdings in the cru of Hermitage (as well as St-Joseph), Domaine Jean-Louis Chave is the pre-eminent name in northern Rhône winemaking. Current custodian of the domaine, Jean-Louis is, almost incredibly, the 16th generation of Chave family winemaker. "Still in barrel at the time of this tasting, the 2013 Hermitage will certainly be one of the wines of the vintage. Offering classic, granite-induced notes of smoked dark fruits, graphite, searing minerality and bouquet garni, this sensational Hermitage has medium to full-bodied richness, beautiful mid-palate density and building tannin, all with the freshness and purity of the vintage. Reminiscent of a more backwards, tight, focused and granite-driven year (I asked Jean-Louis if there was a similar vintage he could recall, he commented that he couldn`t think of one), it has solid ripeness in its aromas and flavours, good sweetness in its tannin, and a great finish. I suspect it will need 7-8 years of cellaring and keep for 20-25 years or more." Wine Advocate, 2015