2009 E. Guigal Ermitage Ex Voto Blanc
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Tasting notes
Like the 2010, the 2009 Hermitage Ex Voto Blanc is an utterly perfect wine, and I finished my note during the tasting with “the best white wine I’ve ever tasted?”. More unctuous, thick and flamboyant than the more reserved and mineral-laced 2010, it has soaring aromatics of caramelized peach, brioche, white flowers and orange marmalade. These flow to a full-bodied, huge white that packs incredible richness and depth, yet still glides across the palate with no weight or heaviness. This is truly heavenly juice that I wish every reader could taste!
Critic scores
Robert Parker
Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider
More reviews and scores
(made from 95% marsanne and 5% roussanne): Pale gold. A powerfully scented bouquet evokes fresh tropical and citrus fruits, white flowers and minerals, with notes of honey and nougat adding depth. Juicy, focused and pure, offering vibrant pineapple and orange flavors that gain weight with air. Closes with strong mineral cut and superb persistence, leaving floral and mineral notes behind.
Bright gold. Displays deep, pungent pit fruit and poached pear on the nose, along with suggestions of nutmeg, sweet butter, iodine and smoky minerals. Stains the palate with intense peach and bitter pear skin flavors and a zesty mineral jolt on the back end. Strikingly intense and focused, with excellent finishing clarity and stony persistence. If you have to open this youthful wine any time soon, by all means decant it for an hour or so.