2017 L'Hermitage

Jean-Louis Chave said that because of the 2017s’ richness and forward fruit, he thinks that too many people will make the mistake of drinking the wines too young. “They probably won’t start to show much in the way of complexity until at least seven years after release, and they should age extremely well.” The fruit bunches were quite small, he said, and the berries as well. “You have serious concentration and ripeness, but also the tannic structure to hold it up.” Even though many of the wines from the region cruise up to the 15% level, “there’s not a sense of heat and definitely no cooked character to the fruit.”

Weather-wise, comparisons of 2017 to 2015 are apt, Jean-Louis Chave told me “but the difference is that because of fewer clusters than normal in 2017 the vines were able to work with less pressure than in 2015, when they were carrying a full crop of fruit.” That fruit gave wines of distinct “richness and expression” he told me, adding that he wouldn’t be surprised to see them showing very well on the younger side than usual because “they already give off a lot of perfume and aren’t closed up like the 2015s were at the same stage.” The components of Chave’s 2017 Saint-Josephs and Hermitage I tasted were definitely extroverted in character, with relatively supple textures and rounded, even tannins. Keep in mind that even in “forward” vintages Chave’s Hermitage is a long-distance runner and the Saint-Joseph ages wonderfully as well. Based on plenty of past history, I have no doubt that these ‘17s will be drinking wonderfully well into their second and even third decade of life, especially the Hermitage.