2023 Ermitage Blanc l'Ermite

Always more austere and chiseled, the 2023 Ermitage L'Ermite Blanc is medium gold-hued and offers intense aromatics of ripe orange and citrus fruits intermixed with crushed stone, honeyed almond, spice, and white flowers. It's concentrated, with medium to full-bodied richness, terrific balance, and a gorgeous finish. Made from 100% Marsanne and aged in 90% demi-muids (25% new) with 10% in stainless steel for 12 months, it needs 4-5 years of bottle age and will keep for two decades. Drink 2030-2050. 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.