2008 Ermitage Le Pavillon

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).