2004 Ermitage Blanc L'Ermite

I tasted a staggering (literally) range of wines this year with commercial director Pierre-Henri Morel, who offered the opinion that the 2004 white wines here might prove more complex with age than the outstanding 2005s. "The 2004 vintage has remarkable balance and finesse," he said. It would nice to be able to compare these two sets of wines down the road, or any time for that matter, as these are among the most striking and complex white wines I've ever been privileged to drink, from anywhere, including that hoity-toity region to the north. I might sound like a tape loop but Chapoutier's collection of red single-site wines was one of the highlights of my trip, again. These are must-try wines for any Rhone-lover and I can't help wondering when I hear criticism of them whether the nay-sayer has actually tried what he's knocking. It's worth repeating that Chapoutier makes only mono-cepage wines: marsanne for the whites, syrah (obviously) for the northern reds and grenache for the Chateauneufs. (Paterno Wines International, Lake Bluff, IL) Also recommended: 2004 Crozes-Hermitage La Petite Ruche Blanc (86), 2004 Saint-Joseph Deschants (86). Other wines tasted: 2005 Crozes-Hermitage La Petite Ruche, 2005 Saint-Joseph Deschants.

"You had to wait in order to get full maturity and proper acidity in 2003," director Pierre-Henri Morel told me."Only by waiting out the heat was acidity able to climb back and were we able to make wines with real backbone."Indeed, Chapoutier's red wines from the north are firmly structured and fresh, and for the most part belie the heat of the vintage.The 2004 white wines, as at most of the top addresses in the north, were highly successful, with impressive complexity and balance.