1991 Hermitage Blanc

Jean-Louis always like to open older bottles of the whites to show how they age, and in this case, he opened two beauties. The 1991 Hermitage Blanc was fully mature and firmly in the middle of its drinking plateau. Caramelized citrus, honeysuckle, flowers, and orange rind all emerge from the elegant, fresh, lively effort that’s drinking beautifully today. I don’t see any upside, yet it should keep for at least another decade. The reference point for traditional, classic Hermitage must be that of the Chave family, whose history with this region goes back over 500 years. The estate is located in the tiny village of Mauves, and they pull from some of the prime terroirs on Hermitage Hill, including Bessards, Hermite, Péleat, les Rocoules, and Beaumes. In addition to producing one of the best Hermitages out there (Red and White), Jean-Louis Chave has also invested an incredible amount of time, energy and money into his vineyards in Saint Joseph over the past decade or more. Today he releases a classic estate Saint Joseph as well as a new single vineyard cuvée from an ancient site located south of Mauves called Le Clos. This was previously known as Domaine Florentin and has an incredible amount of history associated with the estate, which was purchased by the Chave family in 2009. I expect it won’t be long before we see another single vineyard Saint Joseph from his vines in Beshesson, located north of Saint-Jean-de-Muzols. Looking at the vintages reviewed here, the 2015s certainly rival what the estate produced in 2009 and 2010, with a style not too dissimilar from a hypothetical blend of 2009 and 2010. These are ripe, exuberant wines, yet trust me, they have plenty of tannin, depth and length, and will be long-lived. The 2016s, which were brought up completely in the new cellar, are much more streamlined, tight, and fresh. They’re classic, elegant wines. but my money is on them needing plenty of cellaring to be approachable.