2000 L'Hermitage

Tasting at Chave in November, though always a treat,x000D gives only an approximation of the quality - and style - of the 14-month-oldx000D vintage in barrel. Indeed, Gerard Chavex000D reminds me every year that the ultimate blend, which in the case of the 2001x000D will not be made until March, will be a wine unlike any component I tastex000D during my visit. And the finished wine,x000D Chave maintains, has a way of being better than any of its components, partlyx000D due to the fact that the Chaves sell off barrels that don't fit into thex000D blend. That said, the young 2001 looksx000D to be a worthy successor to the splendid 2000.

Although the Chaves are justly proud of the rich, stylish red wine they have in the works in 2000, Jean-Louis Chave told me that this vintage is almost more of a white wine year than '99. "In '99, white Hermitage is fat and powerful, but without quite the same balance as in 2000," he explained. "In contrast, 2000 has stuffing and fat but also great suavity, which will allow the wine to express itself sooner." High yields were not a factor at this address in 2000: the Chaves made one-third less wine than in the previous year, according to Jean-Louis. Nineteen ninety-nine yielded wonderful wines here, despite the fact that the domain did not make a separate Cuvee Cathelin bottling. Jean-Louis was moderately concerned that some observers would think this decision meant that the Chaves considered '99 to be less than outstanding. On the contrary: the issue in '99 was that virtually all of the family's lieux-dit produced very rich, rather powerful wine, with the vintage character partly overshadowing site specificity. Under the circumstances, Jean-Louis explained, the Chaves would not have been able to make a special bottling that was markedly different in style from the rest. In '98, in contrast, it was possible to make a Cathelin with significantly more refinement than the regular cuvee