2016 Hermitage
Estimated value
Buying options
Tasting notes
I loved the 2016 Hermitage from Yann Chave, and I always feel this wine flies under the radar of most Hermitage lovers. That’s probably due to the tiny quantities, but it’s a beautiful wine and ages gracefully as well. The 2016 offers a textbook bouquet of smoked black fruits, sappy herbs, and spring flowers, with a terrific underlying sense of minerality. Deep, inky-colored, medium to full-bodied, and with good acidity, it shows the forward, charming style of the vintage but still needs 2-4 years of bottle age and will drink nicely for a decade or more. This was another terrific lineup from Yann Chave, who pulls from just four acres in Hermitage and just over 37 acres in Crozes Hermitage.
Critic scores
Average Score
Richard Hemming MW, jancisrobinson.com
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
A fine effort, Chave's 2016 Hermitage features hints of cedar, roasted meat, raspberry and cherry on the nose. A full-bodied wine with a creamy, supple mouthfeel and long finish, it shows notable freshness. Like many of the 2016s from the region, it's already approachable yet should live at least another 15 years.
(70% new demi-muids ) Youthful purple. Assertive aromas of black raspberry, cherry and violet develop olive and mocha nuances with air. Juicy, focused and appealingly sweet, offering intense red and blue fruit flavors that become deeper and spicier as the wine opens up. The floral note repeats strongly on the impressively long, focused finish, which features velvety tannins and a touch of candied licorice.
Potent red fruit with awesome ripeness yet some vegetal character too, giving a sappy herbal aftertaste. Stylish and deliberate, with finely ground tannic grip and a fresh dose of acid on the finish. Interesting, engaging, ageworthy. (RH)