2010 Hermitage Monier de la Sizeranne

Tasting through the extensive Chapoutier range with head winemaker Clément Bärtschi is always a highlight of my visits to the Northern Rhône. Their single-vineyard offerings from Hermitage, both white and red, rank among the appellation's finest, with the 2022 Ermitage Blanc L'Ermite and 2022 Ermitage Blanc Le Méal knocking it out of the park. While the Hermitage reds remain varietal Syrahs, Bärtschi revealed that they began experimenting with co-fermenting white varieties back in 2019. “We are still in the experimental phase, and the results vary quite significantly from one vintage to another in terms of maturity and concentration, which is why we are refining our approach year after year,” Bärtschi explained. Standout wines from other appellations include the 2022 and 2023 Condrieu Côteau de Chéry, as well as the 2022 Saint-Joseph Blanc Les Granits. There were also a few underperformers, such as the 2022 Saint-Joseph Granilites and the 2022 Côte-Rôtie Les Bécasses. Reflecting on recent vintages—2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023—Chapoutier remains in the champions league for both Hermitage and Condrieu, maintains rock-solid quality in Saint-Joseph, Cornas and Saint-Péray, and shows room for improvement in Côte-Rôtie and Crozes-Hermitage.

Tasting through the extensive Chapoutier range with head winemaker Clément Bärtschi is always a highlight of my visits to the Northern Rhône. Their single-vineyard offerings from Hermitage, both white and red, rank among the appellation's finest, with the 2022 Ermitage Blanc L'Ermite and 2022 Ermitage Blanc Le Méal knocking it out of the park. While the Hermitage reds remain varietal Syrahs, Bärtschi revealed that they began experimenting with co-fermenting white varieties back in 2019. “We are still in the experimental phase, and the results vary quite significantly from one vintage to another in terms of maturity and concentration, which is why we are refining our approach year after year,” Bärtschi explained. Standout wines from other appellations include the 2022 and 2023 Condrieu Côteau de Chéry, as well as the 2022 Saint-Joseph Blanc Les Granits. There were also a few underperformers, such as the 2022 Saint-Joseph Granilites and the 2022 Côte-Rôtie Les Bécasses. Reflecting on recent vintages—2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023—Chapoutier remains in the champions league for both Hermitage and Condrieu, maintains rock-solid quality in Saint-Joseph, Cornas and Saint-Péray, and shows room for improvement in Côte-Rôtie and Crozes-Hermitage.

I sat down for an entire morning head winemaker Clément Bärtschi to taste through Chapoutier’s extensive portfolio. “Two thousand twenty-one started with a frost episode in early April and was followed by a very rainy year. One might have to go back to 2008 or earlier to find a vintage as challenging for winemakers,” Bärtschi recalled. “We had to work tirelessly in the vineyards until the end of the harvest. Due to our organic and biodynamic farming, we were trimming grass, mowing and adjusting leaves up until the last moment before harvest. Overall, we are dealing with a vintage profile that is less structured and a bit more diluted.” Facing the trio of the warm and sunny 2018, 2019 and 2020 vintages, Bärtschi admitted that he became a little bit accustomed to those vintage types, where the primary focus was early harvesting and gentle extraction. Tasting through the 2021s offered a stark contrast between the different appellations and terroirs, especially for the reds. Some wines, particularly from Crozes-Hermitage and Saint-Joseph, miss the mark that Bärtschi and Chapoutier set over the past years. On the other hand, reds like the 2021 Ermitage Le Pavillon and L'Ermite stand tall. While that same quality gap from top to bottom exists for the whites, the overall quality far exceeds that of the reds. The three Ermitage Blanc top cuvées, Le Méal, L’Ermite and De L’Orée, are thrilling, also because Bärtschi skillfully uses reductive winemaking techniques to make the wines more complex. Moving on to 2022, Bärtschi remembered the return from his summer vacation, surprised that “the potential alcohol levels in the grapes hadn't soared,” something he observed in 2019, for example. “This allowed us to be patient and wait for more advanced phenolic ripeness. In 2003, when alcohol and sugar levels skyrocketed, we were forced to harvest without achieving full phenolic ripeness. In 2022, slightly lower alcohol levels supported balance, even though the acidity levels were not very high. What, however, prevents 2022 from being an extraordinary vintage - like 2010 or 2020 - is that despite being able to wait for phenolic ripeness, the stress the vines experienced during the summer meant that the tannins never reached perfect maturity. Consequently, when working with good yet not perfect phenolic ripeness, one must exercise restraint in order to maintain balance. Still, 2022 was almost a miracle considering the challenges the vines faced with heat and drought. To me, it's more and more evident that the vines increasingly adapt to heat and drought conditions,” Bärtschi concluded. Tasting the 2022s reveals solid quality across the board and much more consistency than the 2021s. While the red Ermitage cuvées show promising potential, Bärtschi really nailed the whites. The 2022 Ermitage Blanc Le Méal is so delicious that it’s in the race for the Northern Rhône’s white wine of the vintage.

I sat down for an entire morning head winemaker Clément Bärtschi to taste through Chapoutier’s extensive portfolio. “Two thousand twenty-one started with a frost episode in early April and was followed by a very rainy year. One might have to go back to 2008 or earlier to find a vintage as challenging for winemakers,” Bärtschi recalled. “We had to work tirelessly in the vineyards until the end of the harvest. Due to our organic and biodynamic farming, we were trimming grass, mowing and adjusting leaves up until the last moment before harvest. Overall, we are dealing with a vintage profile that is less structured and a bit more diluted.” Facing the trio of the warm and sunny 2018, 2019 and 2020 vintages, Bärtschi admitted that he became a little bit accustomed to those vintage types, where the primary focus was early harvesting and gentle extraction. Tasting through the 2021s offered a stark contrast between the different appellations and terroirs, especially for the reds. Some wines, particularly from Crozes-Hermitage and Saint-Joseph, miss the mark that Bärtschi and Chapoutier set over the past years. On the other hand, reds like the 2021 Ermitage Le Pavillon and L'Ermite stand tall. While that same quality gap from top to bottom exists for the whites, the overall quality far exceeds that of the reds. The three Ermitage Blanc top cuvées, Le Méal, L’Ermite and De L’Orée, are thrilling, also because Bärtschi skillfully uses reductive winemaking techniques to make the wines more complex. Moving on to 2022, Bärtschi remembered the return from his summer vacation, surprised that “the potential alcohol levels in the grapes hadn't soared,” something he observed in 2019, for example. “This allowed us to be patient and wait for more advanced phenolic ripeness. In 2003, when alcohol and sugar levels skyrocketed, we were forced to harvest without achieving full phenolic ripeness. In 2022, slightly lower alcohol levels supported balance, even though the acidity levels were not very high. What, however, prevents 2022 from being an extraordinary vintage - like 2010 or 2020 - is that despite being able to wait for phenolic ripeness, the stress the vines experienced during the summer meant that the tannins never reached perfect maturity. Consequently, when working with good yet not perfect phenolic ripeness, one must exercise restraint in order to maintain balance. Still, 2022 was almost a miracle considering the challenges the vines faced with heat and drought. To me, it's more and more evident that the vines increasingly adapt to heat and drought conditions,” Bärtschi concluded. Tasting the 2022s reveals solid quality across the board and much more consistency than the 2021s. While the red Ermitage cuvées show promising potential, Bärtschi really nailed the whites. The 2022 Ermitage Blanc Le Méal is so delicious that it’s in the race for the Northern Rhône’s white wine of the vintage.

It’s hard to overstate the importance of the historic Maison Chapoutier in the Northern Rhône valley and, to a great extent, in the south. Annual production for Chapoutier’s combined projects is now pushing 10 million bottles from over 500 hectares of vines owned or under Chapoutier’s management. That’s up significantly (to say the least) from the roughly 500,000 bottles produced when Michel Chapoutier took control in 1990. The number of lieux-dits offerings from the prime vineyards in the north, which make up the bulk of my coverage, is quite small. Each of their single-site Hermitages is typically from 3,000 to about 6,000 bottles per vintage. Michel Chapoutier’s daughter, Mathilde, and his son, Maxime, are now on board full-time here and are quickly easing into more prominent roles in the company. Winemaking continues to be overseen by the highly talented and experienced Clément Bärtschi, a native of Lyon and trained in Burgundy, at Domaine de la Romanée-Conti no less, before joining Chapoutier in 2010.

It’s hard to overstate the importance of the historic Maison Chapoutier in the Northern Rhône valley and, to a great extent, in the south. Annual production for Chapoutier’s combined projects is now pushing 10 million bottles from over 500 hectares of vines owned or under Chapoutier’s management. That’s up significantly (to say the least) from the roughly 500,000 bottles produced when Michel Chapoutier took control in 1990. The number of lieux-dits offerings from the prime vineyards in the north, which make up the bulk of my coverage, is quite small. Each of their single-site Hermitages is typically from 3,000 to about 6,000 bottles per vintage. Michel Chapoutier’s daughter, Mathilde, and his son, Maxime, are now on board full-time here and are quickly easing into more prominent roles in the company. Winemaking continues to be overseen by the highly talented and experienced Clément Bärtschi, a native of Lyon and trained in Burgundy, at Domaine de la Romanée-Conti no less, before joining Chapoutier in 2010.

It’s hard to overstate the importance of the historic Maison Chapoutier in the Northern Rhône valley and, to a great extent, in the south. Annual production for Chapoutier’s combined projects is now pushing 10 million bottles from over 500 hectares of vines owned or under Chapoutier’s management. That’s up significantly (to say the least) from the roughly 500,000 bottles produced when Michel Chapoutier took control in 1990. The number of lieux-dits offerings from the prime vineyards in the north, which make up the bulk of my coverage, is quite small. Each of their single-site Hermitages is typically from 3,000 to about 6,000 bottles per vintage. Michel Chapoutier’s daughter, Mathilde, and his son, Maxime, are now on board full-time here and are quickly easing into more prominent roles in the company. Winemaking continues to be overseen by the highly talented and experienced Clément Bärtschi, a native of Lyon and trained in Burgundy, at Domaine de la Romanée-Conti no less, before joining Chapoutier in 2010.

Maxime Chapoutier and cellarmaster Clément Bärtschi called 2018 “a kind of interesting vintage because while the wines are ripe, as has become usual, they also have sound acidity, so there isn’t a cooked quality or too much weight, like you get from typical hot years.” The wines are fresher than their 2017 siblings, they said, adding that “they’ll be drinking sooner than the 2017s, which have more weight and structure and also darker fruit character. Those should be held.”

I tasted this year with Maxime Chapoutier and cellarmaster Clément Bärtschi, who described 2017 as a year of “really nice fruit, just not very much of it.” The wines are definitely richer than the 2016s here and reminded me a bit of the 2015s, but with less strict tannins and somewhat darker fruit character. For obvious reasons, there’s even less of the small-production, single-vineyard wines to go around than usual and, since they have yet to hit US shores, at least via the official importer, getting dibs in early is highly advised, because they are outstanding. If the top four Hermitage bottlings are too rich for your blood, then it’s worth finding the Hermitage Monier de Sizeranne, Saint-Joseph Les Granits and Le Clos and the always excellent Crozes-Hermitage Les Varonniers, which gives many a Hermitage a run for their money. The production levels for those wines are small as well, but they don’t grab the market’s immediate attention the same way as the big-gun Hermitages. Chapoutier has long been doing noteworthy work at Côte-Rôtie and has highly enviable holdings there. That fact seems to be overlooked, such is the domaine’s deeply rooted history in Tain l’Hermitage and its surrounding vineyards. Luckily, and perhaps as a result, pricing can be extremely fair for these wines given their consistently high quality.

Winemaker Clément Bärtschi described 2017 as “showing its hot-vintage and low-yield character but it doesn’t act like a typical hot year because there’s very good energy, freshness and detail, too.” He compared the aromatics of the wines to the 2016s “because they have expressive perfume and show a lot of mineral character, but they are much more powerful than the 2016s, with darker fruit character.” It was a really strange year for growing conditions, he pointed out “early start, then cold and dry, then hot again, then lots of rain, then dry again. You were always watching the vines because of all the changes.” Luckily, he said, there was no disease pressure and the fruit was “exceptionally healthy” and benign weather allowed the harvest to stretch from mid-September well into October, “picking when the fruit was ready, not when the weather said to go faster.” Long-time fans of Chapoutier will have noticed a trend toward less extraction and more silky mouthfeels in the wines here and that shows, again, even in the ripe 2017 vintage.

Winemaker Clément Bärtschi turned in a knockout set of 2016s. I was impressed by how well-knit the tannins were already, which bodes extremely well for early drinking. Pulling the corks on most of these wines before their 10th birthdays should be done with only a modicum of guilt, but the top wines, the single-vineyard bottlings, should really be left alone for a while. My opinion is that these are wines for the ages, but I also suspect that they are unlikely to truly close down, unlike their 2015 siblings. The quality of the entry-level wines here continues to move up and, given the quantities produced, they can often be found at some seriously friendly prices.

Winemaker Clément Bãrtschi says despite the aggravation caused by hail-induced low yields, the Chapoutier team is extremely pleased with the results of 2016. The wines will be especially appealing to those who might be wary of the outsized personalities and richness of many 2015s, pointing out that “2016 is definitely a year that’s marked by its balance, fruit intensity and precision.” He’s also impressed by the interplay of fruit, acid and tannins in the wines “which will make them approachable but also capable of long aging, if you have the patience.”

The Chapoutier empire’s expansion continues apace and now, after three years of working in China, Michel Chapoutier’s daughter Mathilde has joined the company while at the same time launching her own line of wines, both estate and négociant, that are sourced from Provence and the Ribera del Duero region of Spain. Even as this sprawling company, which is now eight generations old, ventures farther afield from its hometown of Tain l’Hemitage (they recently added the venerable Beaujolais négociant Trénel to their holdings), their main focus remains on their northern Rhône wines. At the top of the line, Chapoutier’s wines have consistently been among the finest produced in the region and in recent years their entry- and mid-level wines have been steadily improving, even if they have a way to go to get close to the mind-boggling sélections parcellaires that have captured the attention of serious wine lovers and collectors. In a great year like 2015 those top bottlings, unsurprisingly, were among the standouts of the vintage but I suspect that a lot of patience will be required for them to show their best. The deeply concentrated yet elegant Ermitages, in particular, should turn out to be stupendous wines at the level of this producer’s amazing 2010s, perhaps even better.

Chapoutier's winemaker Clément Bärtschi, who guided the usual marathon tasting for me here, said that one thing he'd like to see change is that “people drink these wines, especially the top white ones, so young." The problem, as he sees it, is that “when you open them before they've had at least a year in the bottle, and even more for the reds, what you see is the variety, not the place." So a newly released Condrieu "tastes like Viognier more than where it's from, which is what people are paying for, hopefully." The converse is true as well, he continued, "because old wines can start to merge together stylistically. The challenge is how to catch the wine at the ideal point of freshness and maturity."

Chapoutier's winemaker Clément Bärtschi, who guided the usual marathon tasting for me here, said that one thing he'd like to see change is that “people drink these wines, especially the top white ones, so young." The problem, as he sees it, is that “when you open them before they've had at least a year in the bottle, and even more for the reds, what you see is the variety, not the place." So a newly released Condrieu "tastes like Viognier more than where it's from, which is what people are paying for, hopefully." The converse is true as well, he continued, "because old wines can start to merge together stylistically. The challenge is how to catch the wine at the ideal point of freshness and maturity."

My annual tasting marathon at Chapoutier (more than 100 wines from the north and south!) was conducted by assistant winemaker Clément Bärtschi, who is especially enthused by the increasing quality of wines, both red and white, that have been emerging from Saint-Joseph in recent years. "You get everything that you want in the best parts of the appellation," which to him is the area surrounding Saint-Jean de Muzols and Mauve: "granite soils, steep south-facing slopes and old Serine vines." Like a number of his colleagues Clement views Saint-Joseph as "a little Hermitage, and the wines are more approachable, which gives them a larger audience. The prices help, too." The Chapoutier team is pleased by the healthy yields of 2013 and 2012 and, as was repeated to me across the region, they think that having plenty of wine to sell will help to mitigate the pain of the short crop of 2014.

My annual tasting marathon at Chapoutier (more than 100 wines from the north and south!) was conducted by assistant winemaker Clément Bärtschi, who is especially enthused by the increasing quality of wines, both red and white, that have been emerging from Saint-Joseph in recent years. "You get everything that you want in the best parts of the appellation," which to him is the area surrounding Saint-Jean de Muzols and Mauve: "granite soils, steep south-facing slopes and old Serine vines." Like a number of his colleagues Clement views Saint-Joseph as "a little Hermitage, and the wines are more approachable, which gives them a larger audience. The prices help, too." The Chapoutier team is pleased by the healthy yields of 2013 and 2012 and, as was repeated to me across the region, they think that having plenty of wine to sell will help to mitigate the pain of the short crop of 2014.

Since I visited the Chapoutier winery in mid-November, longtime Managing Director Pierre-Henri Morel has moved on to oversee international sales for Australia's Two Hands winery in the Barossa Valley, and moved with his family to Australia as well.Morel has been the public face of the sprawling Chapoutier wine empire since 2000 and every Chapoutier wine that I have tasted for the IWC has been with him, so his departure will make things interesting for my next visit to Tain.Morel described the 2012 reds as "a bit like 2010 in the sense that the wines have structure and will age, but the fruit is more forward and the tannins less strict."He went on:"Even though the wines are two years younger than the '10s they should probably, with few exceptions, be drunk before you get into any but the entry-level wines of the earlier vintage because the tannins in '10 demand patience; the wines will not show themselves as well as they should until they're at least seven or eight years old, maybe older."He also believes that 2011 will provide some surprises as the wines mature "because the best have balance and freshness:they won't make a huge statement like '12, '10 and '09 but they should age smoothly and never really close up."The white wines from 2012 "are exceptional and made to age," he added, while the best '11 whites "are like the reds in that they have the balance to age but will probably be at their best on the young side, except for the Hermitages."

Since I visited the Chapoutier winery in mid-November, longtime Managing Director Pierre-Henri Morel has moved on to oversee international sales for Australia's Two Hands winery in the Barossa Valley, and moved with his family to Australia as well. Morel has been the public face of the sprawling Chapoutier wine empire since 2000 and every Chapoutier wine that I have tasted for the IWC has been with him, so his departure will make things interesting for my next visit to Tain. Morel described the 2012 reds as "a bit like 2010 in the sense that the wines have structure and will age, but the fruit is more forward and the tannins less strict." He went on: "Even though the wines are two years younger than the '10s they should probably, with few exceptions, be drunk before you get into any but the entry-level wines of the earlier vintage because the tannins in '10 demand patience; the wines will not show themselves as well as they should until they're at least seven or eight years old, maybe older." He also believes that 2011 will provide some surprises as the wines mature "because the best have balance and freshness: they won't make a huge statement like '12, '10 and '09 but they should age smoothly and never really close up." The white wines from 2012 "are exceptional and made to age," he added, while the best '11 whites "are like the reds in that they have the balance to age but will probably be at their best on the young side, except for the Hermitages."

Chapoutier's long-time commercial director Pierre-Henri Morel characterized 2011 as "a vintage of freshness and forward fruit, with good minerality and vineyard expression" up and down the Rhone Valley. The wines generally don't have the power and concentration to be long agers, he said, but "that's what you buy 2010 and 2009 for. You need vintages like 2011 for drinking young and also fro restaurants, while the vintages like '10, '09 and '05 are for collectors. Like most of the producers that I visited this year Morel emphasized that restaurants are selling wines "younger and younger all over the world, even at the most prestigious ones in France."

According to general manager Pierre-Henri Morel, "to sum up 2009 and 2010 quickly, '09 is about the year and '10 is about the vineyard."Expanding on that thought, he added that "the ripeness of 2009 is the biggest marker of the year, while the freshness of 2010 allows the villages and their vineyards to express themselves more clearly."That said, he described the 2009s, at their best, as sensual wines that are easy to appreciate because of their richness.

According to general manager Pierre-Henri Morel, "to sum up 2009 and 2010 quickly, '09 is about the year and '10 is about the vineyard."Expanding on that thought, he added that "the ripeness of 2009 is the biggest marker of the year, while the freshness of 2010 allows the villages and their vineyards to express themselves more clearly."That said, he described the 2009s, at their best, as sensual wines that are easy to appreciate because of their richness.

Pierre-Henri Morel, Chapoutier's commercial director, describes 2008 as "a vintage of the hills, completely. If you didn't have good terroir you suffered the effects of the season: the mildew in the summer and the late rains in particular." Two thousand nine, on the other hand, "was a year where even the less-blessed vineyards were able to produce good fruit because it was a flawless growing season, with enough warmth for very good ripeness but not so much that there was a lot of risk of getting roasted fruit." (Terlato Wines International, Lake Bluff, IL) Also recommended: 2008 Gigondas (85), 2008 Chateauneuf du Pape La Bernardine (86), 2008 Hermitage La Monier de la Sizeranne (86).

Commercial director Pierre-Henri Morel told me that the 2008 whites have very good acidity and balance and will age a lot longer than many people expect, "probably longer than the 2006s and 2007s. We only kept the very best fruit and the final yield worked out to less than 15 hectoliters per hectare for selections parcellaires." The reds are a different matter, he went on, and are wines that should be drunk within a few years of release. "After getting rid of a ridiculous amount of fruit in the vineyards and on the sorting table we weren't left with much to make wine and, everything considered, we're pretty happy with the result. But the wines are nothing close to anything made since 2002." The yield for the 2008 Cote-Rotie La Mordoree was a measly 12 hectoliters per hectare, according to Morel. (Terlato Wines International, Lake Bluff, IL) Also recommended: 2008 Saint-Peray Les Tanneurs (87), 2008 Crozes-Hermitage Blanc La Petite Ruche (86), 2008 Crozes-Hermitage La Petite Ruche (85), 2008 Crozes-Hermitage Les Meysonniers (84-86), 2007 Gigondas (85), 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape La Bernardine (85).

Commercial director Pierre-Henri Morel told me that the 2008 whites have very good acidity and balance and will age a lot longer than many people expect, "probably longer than the 2006s and 2007s. We only kept the very best fruit and the final yield worked out to less than 15 hectoliters per hectare for selections parcellaires." The reds are a different matter, he went on, and are wines that should be drunk within a few years of release. "After getting rid of a ridiculous amount of fruit in the vineyards and on the sorting table we weren't left with much to make wine and, everything considered, we're pretty happy with the result. But the wines are nothing close to anything made since 2002." The yield for the 2008 Cote-Rotie La Mordoree was a measly 12 hectoliters per hectare, according to Morel. (Terlato Wines International, Lake Bluff, IL) Also recommended: 2008 Saint-Peray Les Tanneurs (87), 2008 Crozes-Hermitage Blanc La Petite Ruche (86), 2008 Crozes-Hermitage La Petite Ruche (85), 2008 Crozes-Hermitage Les Meysonniers (84-86), 2007 Gigondas (85), 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape La Bernardine (85).

Also recommended: 2007 Coteaux du Tricastin Blanc (86), 2007 Cotes du Rhone Blanc Belleruche (86), 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc Bernardine (86), 2007 Crozes-Hermitage Blanc Petite Ruche (85), 2007 Viognier Les Granges de Mirabel Vin de Pays des Coteaux de l'Ardeche (88), 2007 Coteaux du Tricastin La Ciboise (85), 2007 Cotes du Rhone Belleruche (86), 2007 Crozes-Hermitage La Petite Ruche (85-87). Other wines tasted: 2006 Coteaux du Tricastin La Ciboise*.

Also recommended: 2007 Coteaux du Tricastin Blanc (86), 2007 Cotes du Rhone Blanc Belleruche (86), 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc Bernardine (86), 2007 Crozes-Hermitage Blanc Petite Ruche (85), 2007 Viognier Les Granges de Mirabel Vin de Pays des Coteaux de l'Ardeche (88), 2007 Coteaux du Tricastin La Ciboise (85), 2007 Cotes du Rhone Belleruche (86), 2007 Crozes-Hermitage La Petite Ruche (85-87). Other wines tasted: 2006 Coteaux du Tricastin La Ciboise*.

I finally had the chance to see Michel Chapoutier on his home turf this year, but it was literally as I was walking to my car since he had just arrived in Tain from his annual November trip to the Far East. I tasted again with Pierre-Henri Morel, Chapoutier's commercial and export director, who told me that the house was happy that the 2006 whites were so vibrant and forward. "The 2005s need some time," he said, "but should ultimately be more serious." Chapoutier's 2006 reds are notable for their remarkably fragrant bouquets, which are in stark contrast to the more serious, brooding 2005s. "They will be great for people who don't want to defer gratification, but don't be fooled into thinking that they won't last, as they have excellent freshness and balance," Morel said.

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.

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.

Winemaker Alberic Mazoyer noted that the vinifications were difficult in 2003, due to his fear of extracting tough tannins. He volunteered that when it comes to the young 2003s, he finds wines from syrah to be more typical of their origins than wines from the South. As in so many recent vintages, I found Chapoutier's bottlings from their home base in Hermitage to be of consistently higher quality than their other wines-and among the most concentrated and impressive wines of the appellation. Incidentally, Mazoyer pointed out that in the difficult 2002 vintage, the tannins were generally riper in Hermitage than in the other appellations of the NorthernRhoneValley. (Paterno Imports, Lake Bluff, IL) Also tasted: 2002 Crozes-Hermitage La Petite Ruche Blanc, 2002 Saint-Joseph Deschants Blanc, 2003 Condrieu, 2002 Crozes-Hermitage La Petite Ruche, 2003 Saint-Joseph Deschants, 2003 Cornas.

Winemaker Alberic Mazoyer noted that the vinifications were difficult in 2003, due to his fear of extracting tough tannins. He volunteered that when it comes to the young 2003s, he finds wines from syrah to be more typical of their origins than wines from the South. As in so many recent vintages, I found Chapoutier's bottlings from their home base in Hermitage to be of consistently higher quality than their other wines-and among the most concentrated and impressive wines of the appellation. Incidentally, Mazoyer pointed out that in the difficult 2002 vintage, the tannins were generally riper in Hermitage than in the other appellations of the NorthernRhoneValley. (Paterno Imports, Lake Bluff, IL) Also tasted: 2002 Crozes-Hermitage La Petite Ruche Blanc, 2002 Saint-Joseph Deschants Blanc, 2003 Condrieu, 2002 Crozes-Hermitage La Petite Ruche, 2003 Saint-Joseph Deschants, 2003 Cornas.

Also recommended: 2002 Condrieu, 2001 Crozes-Hermitage Les Meysonniers, 2001 Cornas, 2001 Cote-Rotie Les Becasses.

Alberic Mazoyer was one of several winemakers in thex000D Northern Rhone Valley who noted that growers had to wait in 2001 to obtain realx000D skin maturity. Because there was lessx000D heat in September, the fruit retained good acidity, he added. The 2001s are a bit more concentratedx000D and structured than our 2000s," he opined. According to Mazoyer, Chapoutier has steadily reduced thex000D percentage of new oak used to age its cuvees parcellaires, from as much as 80%x000D in the 1995-1996 period to around 40% today. The top Chapoutier cuvees showed impressively on my November tour. (Paterno Imports, Lake Bluff, IL) Also recommended: 2001 Saint-Joseph Deschants Blanc, 2001 Condrieu, 2000 Cornas. Other wines tasted: 2001 Crozes-Hermitage Lesx000D Meysonnieres, 2000 Crozes-Hermitage Les Meysonnieres.

Alberic Mazoyer was one of several winemakers in thex000D Northern Rhone Valley who noted that growers had to wait in 2001 to obtain realx000D skin maturity. Because there was lessx000D heat in September, the fruit retained good acidity, he added. The 2001s are a bit more concentratedx000D and structured than our 2000s," he opined. According to Mazoyer, Chapoutier has steadily reduced thex000D percentage of new oak used to age its cuvees parcellaires, from as much as 80%x000D in the 1995-1996 period to around 40% today. The top Chapoutier cuvees showed impressively on my November tour. (Paterno Imports, Lake Bluff, IL) Also recommended: 2001 Saint-Joseph Deschants Blanc, 2001 Condrieu, 2000 Cornas. Other wines tasted: 2001 Crozes-Hermitage Lesx000D Meysonnieres, 2000 Crozes-Hermitage Les Meysonnieres.

Chapoutier's 2000s tend to be higher in alcohol than either the '99s or '97, according to assistant winemaker Bruno Mathieu. Still, Mathieu told me he likes the '97s best of all for their sheer opulence. A tasting here is a true marathon due to the huge number of bottlings each year, but the real excitement is generally limited to Chapoutier's cuvees parcellaires and especially its wines from Hermitage, the firm's home base.

Chapoutier's 2000s tend to be higher in alcohol than either the '99s or '97, according to assistant winemaker Bruno Mathieu. Still, Mathieu told me he likes the '97s best of all for their sheer opulence. A tasting here is a true marathon due to the huge number of bottlings each year, but the real excitement is generally limited to Chapoutier's cuvees parcellaires and especially its wines from Hermitage, the firm's home base.

My annual tasting at Chapoutier is always something of a marathon, what with the growing number of special limited bottlings and the array of Northern Rhone whites demanding attention. The tasting generally begins in Chapoutier airy tasting room with a succession of bottled and not-yet-finished whites, then continues with a large collection of finished and unfinished reds. Then a quick walk to Chapoutier's cellar on a side street of Tain l'Hermitage, where the producer's top limited-bottling reds rest comfortably in barriques I was not able to taste with Michel Chapoutier this year and thus cannot report his comments on the '99 vintage. But I came away with the distinct impression from his associates that he considers the '99 reds from the Northern Rhone to be among the best wines he has made to date. Unfortunately, the 1999 samples from Chateauneuf du Pape and Gigondas were underwhelming in November, and it was unclear how long prior to my visit they had been drawn from barrel. So my notes on these wines should be taken as provisional; I will report on the bottled wines next year.

My annual tasting at Chapoutier is always something of a marathon, what with the growing number of special limited bottlings and the array of Northern Rhone whites demanding attention. The tasting generally begins in Chapoutier airy tasting room with a succession of bottled and not-yet-finished whites, then continues with a large collection of finished and unfinished reds. Then a quick walk to Chapoutier's cellar on a side street of Tain l'Hermitage, where the producer's top limited-bottling reds rest comfortably in barriques I was not able to taste with Michel Chapoutier this year and thus cannot report his comments on the '99 vintage. But I came away with the distinct impression from his associates that he considers the '99 reds from the Northern Rhone to be among the best wines he has made to date. Unfortunately, the 1999 samples from Chateauneuf du Pape and Gigondas were underwhelming in November, and it was unclear how long prior to my visit they had been drawn from barrel. So my notes on these wines should be taken as provisional; I will report on the bottled wines next year.

Michel Chapoutier continues to introduce stunning old-vines bottlings that relatively few wine lovers will get a chance to taste owing to their scarcity and breathtaking prices. But even the Chapoutier wines offered in large quantity are better than ever: thanks to the firm's new bottling line, completed for the '98s, large cuvees that once took a month to bottle can now be finished in a week, thereby minimizing bottle variation.

Michel Chapoutier continues to introduce stunning old-vines bottlings that relatively few wine lovers will get a chance to taste owing to their scarcity and breathtaking prices. But even the Chapoutier wines offered in large quantity are better than ever: thanks to the firm's new bottling line, completed for the '98s, large cuvees that once took a month to bottle can now be finished in a week, thereby minimizing bottle variation.

The Chapoutiers were particularly successful in 1996, due in large part to late harvesting, and their best '97s are likewise among the stars of the vintage. Since 1995, and especially since 1996, these wines have shown a degree of elegance that was missing from the powerful, dense wines of the late '80s and early '90s. That the good news. The bad news for consumers is that Chapoutier's best fruit appears to be going increasingly into an expanding roster of luxury cuvees. The quality of these wines is consistently superb, but their very high prices and scarcity in the marketplace will prevent most wine lovers from experiencing this producer's finest efforts.

The Chapoutiers were particularly successful in 1996, due in large part to late harvesting, and their best '97s are likewise among the stars of the vintage. Since 1995, and especially since 1996, these wines have shown a degree of elegance that was missing from the powerful, dense wines of the late '80s and early '90s. That the good news. The bad news for consumers is that Chapoutier's best fruit appears to be going increasingly into an expanding roster of luxury cuvees. The quality of these wines is consistently superb, but their very high prices and scarcity in the marketplace will prevent most wine lovers from experiencing this producer's finest efforts.