Cellar
Favorite: Domaine J.L. Chave 1991 L’Hermitage &amp; 1995 Ermitage Cuvée
Cathelin

BY NEAL
MARTIN | SEPTEMBER 22, 2025

Like
most, I can count the number of times I have consumed the Cuvée Cathelin on one
hand. Many moons have waxed and waned since I last encountered a bottle. To be
honest, I had no idea that prices had exploded exponentially to levels associated
with blue-chip Burgundy. According to John Livingstone-Learmonth’s indispensable
“The Wines of the Northern Rhône,” the catalyst for this cuvée came from the
late artist Bernard Cathelin, who wanted to paint a label for his friend,
Gérard Chave. Chave decided to create a separate cuvée from his main bottling, what
might be considered a “remix” of the same seven sites on the hill of Hermitage.
One misunderstanding is that the Cuvée Cathelin is matured in 100% new oak by
rote; it is more accurate to say that the Cathelin tends to see more new oak
than the regular cuvée. Another is that the Cuvée Cathelin is implicitly better.
While market prices infer that to be true, Chave incepted the Cathelin to make
something different rather than superior. Ergo, if there is too much similarity
between the two in any given vintage, Chave will forego releasing a Cathelin. 

My
first encounter with Cuvée Cathelin serves as a pertinent reminder that even
legends like this were once available to cash-strapped mortals. Around the turn
of the millennium, I volunteered as a key panel taster for the now-defunct
“Wine” magazine. The 1991 Cuvée Cathelin was innocuously inserted into a blind lineup
that included supermarket Rhône-based blends! My second was a bottle of the
inaugural 1990 Cuvée Cathelin, again served blind against the regular bottling
at a vertical tasting in London. Most of the tasters, including myself,
preferred the regular bottling. 

<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1758550054965-CF_Sept222025.JPG">During
a bacchanal celebrating a friend’s birthday this past May, we were treated to
Domaine J.L. Chave’s 1991 L’Hermitage—an absolute showstopper. Displaying
pure red and blue fruit laced with lavender and shavings of black truffle on
the youthful nose, it has fabulous delineation and vigour. The palate is
blessed with balance and harmony in spades. After more than three decades, the
tannins have melted, now sublimated by the pure black fruit, though there
remains tangible grip. There is residual Rhône-like warmth to this L’Hermitage,
as if those galets strewn across the vineyard are part of the wine,
still emitting that summer’s warmth. Flecks of blood orange and andouillette
emerge towards the peacock’s tail finish. Brilliant and à point. 98/Drink
2025-2050. 

Following
this lunch, we moved to the bar at Noble Rot Mayfair. One munificent guest
opened a 1995 Ermitage Cuvée Cathelin. This was cut from a different
cloth than the ’91 Hermitage. Now 30 years old, the 1995 has a swarthy nose
with raspberry, briar, juniper and light cola scents, well defined, if missing
the bucolic charm of the ’91. The palate is velvety smooth with hints of
strawberry pastille and eucalyptus. The Cathelin is supremely well balanced and
polished, sporting impressive weight and density on the glossy finish. That
said, I asked myself whether it really has the profundity you find in Chave’s
finest creations. Still, it was a privilege to drink such a rare Rhône. Based
on this showing, the 1995 deserves further time in bottle. 94/Drink 2028-2055.© 2025, Vinous. No portion of this article may be copied, shared or redistributed without prior consent from Vinous. Doing so is not only a violation of our copyright but also threatens the survival of independent wine criticism.

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