1999 Hermitage Cuvee Emilie

Possibly the finest vintage to date (it’s neck and neck with the 2009), the 1999 Hermitage Cuvee Emilie is still youthful and lively, with a deep ruby/purple-tinged color, notes of black raspberries, bouquet garni, crushed rocks, leather and chocolate, perfectly integrated tannin and an utterly seamless texture. Coming mostly from the Grandes Vignes and Rocoules vineyards on Hermitage Hill and brought up all in new barrels, it’s a gorgeous wine that’s drinking nicely today, yet has two decades of life to go.

The Hermitage Cuvee Emilie is a full-bodied, thick, juicy wine. The wine possesses minerality and backbone. It reveals moderately intense aromas of rose petals, minerals, honeyed grapefruit, and a hint of fino sherry. Look for it to drink well for up to twenty years. The wine is produced from low yields, ripe fruit, minimal levels of sulphur dioxide, and is bottled with neither fining nor filtration. The winemaking philosophy is essentially hands off until the wines are bottled. The result is brilliant, and merits significant attention from Rhone wine enthusiasts. (RP)

Philippe Desmeures's 1999 Hermitage Cuvee Emilie rouge (1,000 cases) is a candidate for the "Hermitage of the vintage." About 70% of the grapes for this cuvee emerge from old vines located in L'Hermite (on the crown of the great dome of Hermitage) and the remainder from Les Rocoules. This extraordinarily intense offering boasts an opaque black/purple color (reminiscent of a cult Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa) as well as a sumptuous nose of sweet blackberry liqueur intermixed with espresso, licorice, tobacco, minerals, and toast. There is massive flavor concentration, multiple layers, full body, purity, and beautifully integrated acidity and tannin. This compelling Hermitage should evolve for three decades. ||The wine is produced from low yields, ripe fruit, minimal levels of sulphur dioxide, and is bottled with neither fining nor filtration. The winemaking philosophy is essentially hands off until the wines are bottled. The result is brilliant, and merits significant attention from Rhone wine enthusiasts.||A Patrick Lesec Selection (Paris fax # 011 33 1 42 84 38 22), various American importers, including Associate Wine Distributors of Napa, Atlantic Importing Co., Newton, MA; tel. (617) 965-2933, Fine Vines LLC, Maywood, IL; tel. (708) 343-5901, and New Castle Imports, Myrtle Beach, SC; tel. (843) 497-8625 Wine Advocate.April, 2002