Region | |
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Subregion | France > Rhône > Northern Rhône > Hermitage |
Colour | Red |
Type | Still |
View all vintages of this wine | View all wines by Delas Frères
The uber-impressive 2010 Hermitage Les Bessards ranks alongside the perfect 2009. The strikingly intense powdered stone/granite minerality is apparent in this wine of great intensity, prodigious, almost skyscraper-like texture, massive body and high tannins. It is only for true connoisseurs who have a cold cellar as well as the patience to wait a minimum of a decade for it to round into drinking form. Filled with potential, it is one of the single greatest Hermitages I have ever tasted. There is no hint of its 100% new oak aging!
Lastly, I always look for older wines in local restaurants during work trips, and I was able to purchase this bottle from Le Mangevins, which is unquestionably one of the top restaurants in the Northern Rhône. Pure Hermitage magic, the 2010 Hermitage Les Bessards comes from the western side of Hermitage Hill and pure, gnarly, steep, broken granite soils. It takes time to open up but reveals a vivid ruby hue as well as a gorgeous perfume of red and black fruits, crushed stone, spring flowers, incense, camphor, and burning embers. Full-bodied, dense, concentrated, and powerful, it has thrilling tannins, perfect balance, and a finish that won't quit. A sensational, heavenly, seamless Hermitage, it can be drunk any time over the coming 30 years or more.
The 900-case cuvee of Hermitage Les Bessards is only made in the greatest vintages. The 2010 Hermitage Les Bessards offers up scents of lead pencil shavings, barbecue smoke, black currants, blackberries, licorice and crushed rocks. Full-bodied, powerful, rich and extremely tannic, it should only be purchased by connoisseurs with cold cellars and abundant patience, as it requires 10-15 years of cellaring, and should still be drinking beautifully in 50-60 years when most of us are pushing up daisies.