2012 L'Hermitage

Jean-Louis Chave calls 2012 "a classic year for white Hermitage because the wines have weight, energy and great mineral expression," not to mention that they’re built to age. The 2013 white wine, which was still awaiting final blending and bottling when I visited here in December, is even more minerally but at this early stage doesn't seem to possess quite the depth or power of its younger sibling. I look forward to checking it out in bottle next winter. As for the 2012 vintage for red wine, Chave thinks that despite the wines' forward fruit and supple texture, "there are good tannin underneath and there's very good balance as well. The tannins might not be there for really long aging but that doesn't mean that the wines should be drunk too young." The best 2013s, he believes, happened "if the grower was patient enough to wait and harvest late, without being scared of the weather changing too fast." Those who did so made wines that he called "classic in structure and balance but not in richness, so they should not be buried to deep in the cellar." Chave's commitment to Saint-Joseph continues to bear fruit, as it were, with each vintage here revealing wines of greater depth and complexity, not to mention aromatic interest. The family has gone whole hog on trying to maximize the potential of the granitic soils of the appellation and Jean-Louis would like to think that a long time from now he'll be the Chave who is remembered for bringing Saint-Joseph "up to where it belongs and not just a 'little' Hermitage."

Jean-Louis Chave's 2011 red Hermitage was still awaiting final blending in preparation for a mid-winter bottling so I'll have a final bottle score at this time next year, but suffice it to say that it looks to be one of the highlights of the vintage, as does the white version. For his part, Chave thinks that the 2011 will be a structured, firm wine that should age well, while the 2012 will be more expressive early on.Two thousand fourteen marks the 22nd vintage that Jean-Louis has been at the helm of this iconic domain, which owns almost 14 hectares of vineyards on the Hermitage hill--or almost 11% of the total appellation--split between about two-thirds syrah and one-third marsanne and roussanne.The 2012 red wines here should turn out to be among the best Rhone wines of the vintage; I was especially struck in November by the continuing surge in quality of the estate's Saint-Joseph, which is now one of the best examples I know, along with that of Gonon and the top Chapoutier offerings.Chave reiterated that he finds that "it's much harder to blend white wines than reds because it's so easy to overwhelm and mute the delicate parts of the wine, while with syrah everything is more uniform, usually, so getting harmony is easier."As long-time Chave fans know, the white wine here ages just as well as the red (some think that it's an even better cellar candidate), a point that Chave made by opening two older bottles, blind, that are at different stages of their aging curve.The 2003 Hermitage Blanc is showing the richness and weight that marks the vintage, but it's almost shockingly energetic as well, with a firm mineral spine supporting intense orchard and pit fruit flavors.Jean-Louis' next brain-twister showed more age but also plenty of vivacity.Orange marmalade, honey and truffle qualities spoke of a wine from a warm vintage that was a couple of decades older than the '03, but knowing how slowly these wines evolve and the fact that the cold Chave cellar allows for even slower maturation, I guessed that it was from 1976.I was only off by 17 years as it turned out to be the 1959, which is, I'd say, an ageless wine.Being so far off has rarely tasted so good.He also blind-tasted me on the 1999 red wine, which is aging slowly but surely, with bitter cherry, licorice and iodine qualities dominating, and the supernal 1995 Hermitage Cuvee Cathelin, which reminded me of a very serious grand cru Burgundy, with palate-staining red fruit and floral qualities and bright minerality that made it seem years younger.Readers fortunate enough to own it should count themselves extremely fortunate.