Ermitage l'Ermite Blanc, Maison M. Chapoutier 2022

Crushed stone, orange blossom, marmalade, and liquid rocks all emerge from the 2022 Ermitage L'Ermite Blanc, a more closed, inward, yet incredibly pure Hermitage Blanc. Medium to full-bodied and beautifully concentrated on the palate, it shows integrated acidity and a vibrant, focused character. As always, it's 100% Marsanne and was aged in 90% demi-muids (25% new) and 10% stainless steel for 14 months. This serious white will evolve for 15-20 years. Drink 2025-2045.

The 2022 Ermitage L'Ermite Blanc is closer in style to the de L’Orée with its tighter, more focused, backward style, although there’s more dry extract and concentration here. Crushed citrus, orange blossom, and incredible minerality all define the aromatics, and it's medium to full-bodied, with a dense, stacked mid-palate, high acidity, and a great finish. It's built for the cellar. As always, this comes from a lieu-dit located above the Le Meal lieu-dit and mostly decomposed granite (there’s a touch of limestone soils.) It’s still resting in 90% demi-muids, 25% being new.