| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Rhône > Northern Rhône > Hermitage |
| Colour | White |
| Type | Still |
Other than being slightly riper the nose is quite similar to that of the straight Gevrey cuvée. By contrast, this is denser and more powerful with a bit more tannic scaffolding as well on the robust, mouth coating and impressively persistent finish where the rusticity is more pronounced. This is a first-rate villages and well-worth considering.
The 2009 Ermitage Le Meal Blanc (844 cases) offers up aromas and flavors of tomato confit, white peaches, honeysuckle, acacia flowers, licorice and anise. Deep, full-bodied and textured, with superb intensity as well as richness, it is the most exotic, tropical fruit-flavored Ermitage from Chapoutier in 2009. Enjoy it over the next 25-30 years.
The 2009 Ermitage Le Meal Blanc exhibits more exotic tropical fruit (mango, orange blossom and nectarine) as well as white currants. Very intense with slightly lower acid than l'Oree, and a rounder, more corpulent, fleshy mouthfeel, this mind-boggling white Hermitage admirably demonstrates why, in the late eighteenth century, Thomas Jefferson wrote in his diary that white Hermitage was the greatest dry white wine made in France.
