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Hermitage Rouge, J-L Chave 2003

RegionRhône
Subregion France > Rhône > Northern Rhône > Hermitage
ColourRed
TypeStill
Grape VarietySyrah

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Tasting Notes

The perfect 2003 Hermitage has acquired extraordinary minerality as well as definition since I first tasted it 12 months earlier. Its inky/purple color is accompanied by glorious aromas of creme de cassis, black cherries, licorice, crushed rocks, and flowers. Prodigiously rich and full-bodied yet elegant and fresh, this is a tour de force in winemaking. There are no overripe, scorched, pruny, fig-like notes in this extraordinary Hermitage. It will be drinkable young, yet evolve for 35-40+ years.

100
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (163), February 2006

The 2003 Hermitage is as profound as they come. Inky in color, with incredible kirsch, blackberry liqueur, flowers, licorice and hints of underlying meatiness, it hits the palate with a full-bodied, massively concentrated profile that has nothing out of place, seamless integration of its fruit, alcohol and tannin, and an overriding elegant, perfectly balanced feel. Drink it anytime over the coming three decades.

Jean Louis' two 2003 Hermitages should be on everyone's bucket list of wines to try at least once (preferably more) in their life. They both represent the essence of Hermitage and are as good as wine gets.

100
Jeb Dunnuck, Wine Advocate (212), May 2014

The exotic fig and boysenberry aromas are nearly captivating enough in their own, but this also delivers wavesof dark plum and black currant fruit along with lilac, lavender, tar, roasted game, worn saddle leather and bittersweet cocoa. Then, just as it seems to be too much, the massive loamy yet creamy finish actually pulls it all together with remarkable focus, and lets the minerality sing. The greatest young red wine I have ever tasted. Drink now through 2036.

99
James Molesworth, WineSpectator.com, June 2006

"Now we take the monster out of his cage," Jean-Louis warned me before pouring this. Inky, almost black in color. Elemental, hugely concentrated and powerful on the nose, which slowly unveils aromas of dark cherry liqueur, blackberry, cassis, espresso and a deep note of sweet tobacco. Impossibly rich and dense on the palate (the yields in 2003 were off by two-thirds), showing myriad dark fruit and bitter chocolate flavors, with a suggestion of tapenade and an intense licorice quality. Remarkably, this takes on a mineral tone on the finish, which has the effect of further drawing out the amazingly powerful finish.

98
Josh Raynolds, International Wine Cellar (Jan/Feb 06), January 2006

While there will undoubtedly be a Cuvee Cathelin culled out, the 2003 Hermitage is the most provocative and extraordinary vintage I have tasted chez Chave in the 26 years I have been visiting this domaine. Every cuvee tasted before blending together had at least 16 and as much as 17% natural alcohol, yields averaged 10-15 hectoliters per hectare, and the qualitative potential is unbelievable. The wine tastes more like dry vintage port than anything I have ever tasted at this estate, with amazing concentration yet remarkable freshness. Certainly Les Baumes (16.5% alcohol) tastes like crushed stones intermixed with creme de cassis liqueur. Even more stony in its unreal mineral richness and unctuosity was the cuvee l’Hermite. The two cuvees from Meal and Bessards were simply to die for, the most concentrated, intense Hermitages I have ever tasted, with extraordinary ripeness, power (16-16.5% alcohol) and richness. Of course, the yields were historically low, and the high level of ripeness and richness unprecedented, so what we have is probably something for the archives of the Chave family, a wine of prodigious richness, longevity, and extraordinary intensity. It would be hard to believe that the Cuvee Cathelin, can actually be any better, but it will obviously be a bit different as it tends to see a bit more small oak cask and/or new oak, and the bulk of it tends to come from their holdings in Les Bessards.

One of the last producers to harvest in the north, Chave began picking on September 5th, and refused to acidify despite the fact that analytically there was virtually no acid left in his grapes. He told me this vintage has made him totally re-examine all his ideas about winemaking since the finished wines taste fresh, lively, and while they possesses enormous levels of alcohol (15-17% plus), they are neither hot nor heavy. He said, "perhaps it is our terroir, but I never thought wines like this could be made." Everything was still in barrels as the assemblage had not yet taken place, so my tasting notes are based on tastings from each individual cuvee in the cellars.

99/100
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (156), December 2004
Please note that these tasting notes/scores are not intended to be exhaustive and in some cases they may not be the most recently published figures. However, we always do our best to add latest scores and reviews when these come to our attention. We advise customers who wish to purchase wines based simply on critical reviews to carry out further research into the latest reports.