Region | |
---|---|
Subregion | France > Rhône > Northern Rhône > Hermitage |
Colour | White |
Type | Still |
View all vintages of this wine | View all wines by J-L Chave
Pure gold, the 2018 Hermitage Blanc is another heavenly Hermitage Blanc from this estate that could not be any better. More in the style of the 2009 with its ripe, sexy, yet still pure and seamless profile, it offers quintessential notes of quince, honeyed lemons, white flowers, marzipan, and buttered toast. Full-bodied, deep, unctuous, and blockbuster styled on the palate, it has a level of purity that's off the charts. It offers incredible pleasure today, and you should unquestionably try a bottle over the coming year or two, then it will need a decade of cellaring. Hermitage Blanc – or white wine, for that matter – simply doesn't get any better. 2023-2033
Chave's 2018 Hermitage Blanc, now that it's been blended and bottled for over a year, smashed my already lofty expectations. Showing a wonderfully delicate and intricate nose of white flowers, toasted grain and white peach, it's also impeccably balanced. Full-bodied, rich and concentrated, it nevertheless comes across as almost weightless but with amazing presence and length on the palate. If you're fortunate enough to latch onto multiple bottles, open one now to experience this legend as a young wine, then try to hide the others deep in the cellar.
I was able to taste the 2018 Hermitage Blanc from multiple barrels and tank, and I continue to think Jean-Louis fashions one of the greatest whites on planet earth. Gorgeous white flowers, honeysuckle, ripe quince, and toasted almond notes dominate the bouquet, and it has that rare mix of richness and opulence paired with incredible purity, freshness, and focus. It has a wealth of material yet also shows the vintage’s more rounded, sexy style. Plan on drinking bottles on release and over the following 2-4 years or hold off for a decade. It’s certainly in the same ballpark as the 2017.
The 2018 Hermitage Blanc was still in its various components, so my rating and description is something of a composite, based on barrel-tasting lots from Péléat, Les Rocoules and L'Ermite. There's incredible weight, ripeness and richness throughout, with hints of toast and crocuses accenting white peach, melon and pineapple fruit, yet also a sense of vibrance and briny freshness on the lengthy finishes.