2022 Ermitage Blanc l'Ermite

Crushed stone, orange blossom, marmalade, and liquid rocks all emerge from the 2022 Ermitage L'Ermite Blanc, a more closed, inward, yet incredibly pure Hermitage Blanc. Medium to full-bodied and beautifully concentrated on the palate, it shows integrated acidity and a vibrant, focused character. As always, it's 100% Marsanne and was aged in 90% demi-muids (25% new) and 10% stainless steel for 14 months. This serious white will evolve for 15-20 years. Drink 2025-2045. This was another standout tasting with Michel Chapoutier and his team, and the range continues to be among the most extensive and consistently high-quality in the region. The lineup covers every major appellation in the Northern Rhône, with a continued emphasis on finesse, vibrancy, and site expression. Starting around 2017 or 2018, there's been a clear move toward a lighter touch, and whole cluster fermentations are now used more selectively across the range. On the white side, the team is picking earlier, working with lower alcohols, more reductive winemaking, and aiming to hold onto more CO? in the finished wines, part of an effort to limit early oxidation. Still, I remain unconvinced that the shift will yield better aging potential, or better wines for that matter. Looking back, it is often the richer, more powerful vintages like 2009 and 2010 that have aged best and are still youthful, while livelier, more acid-driven years such as 2001 already show clear signs of oxidation. More importantly, even if these leaner styles age longer, they tend to remain lean, linear wines without the texture, layers, richness, and depth that define the best whites of the Northern Rhône. Hermitage, and to a degree the entire region, remains one of the few places where Marsanne and Roussanne can reach true ripeness and bring incredible richness while still staying pure and light on their feet. Early harvesting risks losing that identity, and taken to the extreme, these fresher, more linear wines could come from almost anywhere. The 2022s show the estate's modern style at its most refined, with purity and balance as well as plenty of depth and structure. The 2023s are already showing finesse and class, with solid depth of fruit. From entry-level values to the top Sélections Parcellaires cuvées, there's certainly something here for every Rhône lover.

The 2022 Ermitage Blanc L'Ermite impresses with hauntingly intense notes of linden blossom, chamomile, ripe melon and quince alongside delicate jasmine elements. Full-bodied and concentrated, the 2022 delivers a totally sapid palate with spot-on balance. The elongated, expansive finale confirms its transformation into something truly spectacular since I last tasted it. Simply put, the 2022 is a masterpiece of a white Hermitage. Kudos to Clément Bärtschi and the entire team at Chapoutier.

The 2022 Ermitage L'Ermite Blanc is closer in style to the de L’Orée with its tighter, more focused, backward style, although there’s more dry extract and concentration here. Crushed citrus, orange blossom, and incredible minerality all define the aromatics, and it's medium to full-bodied, with a dense, stacked mid-palate, high acidity, and a great finish. It's built for the cellar. As always, this comes from a lieu-dit located above the Le Meal lieu-dit and mostly decomposed granite (there’s a touch of limestone soils.) It’s still resting in 90% demi-muids, 25% being new.