2017 Hermitage
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Tasting notes
Deep violet color. Pungent black and blue fruit, smoked meat and licorice aromas, along with baking spice and olive flourishes. Juicy, spice-accented cassis and bitter cherry flavors show very good clarity and deepen steadily with aeration. Finishes long and smooth, with supple tannins framing lingering dark fruit and olive notes.
Critic scores
Average Score
Richard Hemming MW, jancisrobinson.com
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
The base Hermitage from this great co-op is the 2017 Hermitage Grand Classique, which comes mostly from granite soils and was brought up in a mix of barrels and vats. It has a classic Hermitage bouquet of ripe black fruits, chocolate, scorched earth, and graphite. This gives way to a concentrated, powerful Hermitage that has a deep, dense mid-palate, ripe tannins, and a great finish. It's not the most elegant or ethereal Hermitage out there, but it packs some serious muscle. Give bottles 4-5 years of bottle age and enjoy over the following decade or more.
The local co-op's 2017 Hermitage Grand Classique is a strong effort, boasting brambly blackberry aromas accented by hints of espresso and black olive. It's medium to full-bodied, creamy-supple on the palate, with decent depth and length. Drink it over the next decade.
Tasted blind. Juicy blackberry and blackcurrant fruit on the nose. Fragrant and expressive palate, although the flavour profile relies heavily on that pure fruit. A touch of baked earth gives some complexity to the finish. Fibrous tannins. (RH)