2021 Hermitage Blanc

Recently bottled, the 2021 Hermitage Blanc is a brilliant wine that shows a fresher, more mineral-driven style while still clearly being in the classic Jean-Louis concentrated, textured style. White currants, crushed citrus, flowers, green almond, and a kiss of reductive-like minerality all define the aromatics, and if you called this a great Grand Cru White Burgundy in a blind tasting, I wouldn't hold it against you. Medium to full-bodied, concentrated, and beautifully balanced, with a terrific salinity on the finish, it's going to benefit from a year or two of bottle age and I suspect evolve for 20-25 years. This iconic estate continues to hold the line on what constitutes a truly great Hermitage, both red and white, and there are few vinous treats better than a tasting with Jean-Louis Chave in his cellar in Mauve. Looking at the wines reviewed here, the 2022s were tasted from barrel, and this is a ripe, sunny, yet also tannic vintage that’s going to benefit from its élevage, as well as require bottle age. They remind me slightly of Chave’s 1998, although as I say in the review, I think there’s a touch more sun-kissed fruit in the 2022s. The 2021s are beautiful, elegant, seamless wines, and you’ll be hard pressed to do better in the vintage. These aren’t massive wines, but they have pretty, complex, and classic profiles that will drink well with just a few years of bottle age. On another level, the 2020s are powerful, massive wines that remind me slightly of the 2010s (or is it 2009s?). They have tons of baby fat and are already fun to taste, but these are built for the long haul.