1966 Hermitage

The day before my visit, Jean-Louis and his father Gérard Chave opened a number of older Hermitage and tasted through them together in their cellar. Jean-Louis commented that every now and then Gerard likes to revisit older vintages, which in a cellar as deep and grand as this one, is akin to going back in time, and it’s a special moment they spend together. The bottles had been recorked and left in the cellar overnight, and Jean-Louis was incredibly gracious in letting me taste through these wines, which were all poured blind. Starting with the youngest wine, the 1966 Hermitage was still vibrant ruby-colored, with no bricking or hint of its age in its color. It had a fresh, bright, juicy style as well as classic bacon fat, olives, peppery herbs, decaying flowers and gamey aromatics. It’s bright acidity and medium-bodied style make me think it’s best enjoyed over the coming decade, but it’s a regal, elegant wine that will continue to evolve slowly. The reference point for traditional, classic Hermitage must be that of the Chave family, whose history with this region goes back over 500 years. The estate is located in the tiny village of Mauves, and they pull from some of the prime terroirs on Hermitage Hill, including Bessards, Hermite, Péleat, les Rocoules, and Beaumes. In addition to producing one of the best Hermitages out there (Red and White), Jean-Louis Chave has also invested an incredible amount of time, energy and money into his vineyards in Saint Joseph over the past decade or more. Today he releases a classic estate Saint Joseph as well as a new single vineyard cuvée from an ancient site located south of Mauves called Le Clos. This was previously known as Domaine Florentin and has an incredible amount of history associated with the estate, which was purchased by the Chave family in 2009. I expect it won’t be long before we see another single vineyard Saint Joseph from his vines in Beshesson, located north of Saint-Jean-de-Muzols. Looking at the vintages reviewed here, the 2015s certainly rival what the estate produced in 2009 and 2010, with a style not too dissimilar from a hypothetical blend of 2009 and 2010. These are ripe, exuberant wines, yet trust me, they have plenty of tannin, depth and length, and will be long-lived. The 2016s, which were brought up completely in the new cellar, are much more streamlined, tight, and fresh. They’re classic, elegant wines. but my money is on them needing plenty of cellaring to be approachable.