2003 Ermitage L'Ermite Blanc

Complex, sauvage aromas of apricot jam, honey and game, with an intriguing herbal element. Huge, fat and full, with flavors of apricot jam and smoked meat. Voluminous, superripe, and tactile with extract. Mazoyer says this is high in pH for this cuvee (3. 7), as it was made from fruit harvested very late and went through its malolactic fermentation, but the wine's underlying stony minerality enables it to maintain excellent precision of flavor. Finishes extremely long, showing the tannic character of marsanne. Wow!

I found the 2003 Ermitage Blanc L’Ermite extremely underwhelming. That is unsurprising, as I am not keen on this vintage in the Rhône. The nose is far too honeyed and one-dimensional, more like a high-volume Californian wine you would pick up at a grocery store. The palate likewise lacks complexity and is bereft of typicité. Considering this was poured from magnum and there was nothing faulty, the 2003 is an ordinary wine that is past its best.