Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage, Rhone, France 2021

In the Northern Rhône, the Chave family is considered winemaking royalty. The family boasts a continuous lineage of winemakers who have tilled the granitic soils of Hermitage hill dating back to 1481. The current 16th-generation vigneron is Jean-Louis Chave, whose cerebral, confident, yet understated style has “propelled Chave wines to status among the world’s most sought-after collectibles,”

Few who cherish the power and perfume of classically made Hermitage would argue that the greatest red and white examples emerge from the Chave family cellars. The current generations in charge, father Gérard and son Jean-Louis, use their knowledge, experience and spread of lieux-dits to craft wines that combine all the power, longevity, nuance and refinement that the Hermitage hill is capable of.

"While a bottle of the 2021 Hermitage was slightly off during my tasting with Liz, I pulled a bottle from my cellar for the report. Showing consistently from when I tasted it on release at the estate, the 2021 is a classy Hermitage that's as good as anything in the vintage, offering solid ripeness in its red and black fruits as well as peppery herb, sappy flower, leather, and gamey aromas and flavors. Cut from the same cloth as the 2014, it's medium-bodied, has a soft, supple mouthfeel, moderate tannins, and beautiful overall balance. It's going to be on a faster evolutionary track and, I suspect, will hit the early stages of its prime drinking wine in another 4-5 years and keep for two decades." Jeb Dunnuck 94