2016 Hermitage

First up of the Hermitage releases, the 2016 Hermitage GBM is a blend from the Gréffieux, Bessards, and Méal lieux-dits brought up in barrel. It has some obvious stem influence as well as beautiful notes of bouquet garni, earth, smoke, and darker fruits. It’s incredibly aromatic and has a medium-bodied, elegant, ethereal style on the palate. It needs short-term cellaring but is a classic Hermitage that will 2-3 decades of longevity. You’ll be hard pressed to find more pure, classic, old school Hermitage than those from Bernard Faurie, who has a tiny cellar just outside of Tournon. A fifth-generation winemaker, Faurie owns vines in three different lieux-dits on Hermitage: Bessards, Gréffieux, and Méal, from which he makes several different cuvées. The wines are not destemmed and are brought up mostly in used barrels. These are singular wines and marry a rare sense of power and elegance that’s not readily found elsewhere. Unfortunately, the wines are made in minuscule quantities and are difficult to find, but life is too short not to try the wines of this Hermitage genius!

Deep ruby. Smoke- and spice-accented red and dark berry scents show excellent clarity and a sexy floral topnote. Offers concentrated but energetic black raspberry, bitter cherry and spicecake flavors that become sweeter and pick up hints of candied violet and olive on the back half. Finishes silky, juicy and very long, with harmonious tannins coming in late to add shape and gentle grip.

(gold capsule) Youthful purple. Highly expressive, mineral-accented aromas of fresh black raspberry, cherry and exotic spices; a sexy floral note builds in the glass. Juicy and sharply focused, offering palate-staining red and blue fruit liqueur and spicecake flavors and a deeper licorice nuance. The floral quality comes back emphatically on the clinging finish, which is shaped by silky, harmonious tannins.