2022 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave L'Hermitage Rouge Rhone Valley

Winemaker Notes: Generally 100% destemmed, as the Hermitage is meant to be about the expression of the individual vineyards and soils and Jean-Louis believes that stems have a tendency to level out the differences. Fermentation in wood tonneaux and stainless steel tanks. Aged in barriques for 30 months.

CRITICAL ACCLAIM


Decanter - "A tasting of the different lieux-dits showed how the different soil types reacted to the drought. Granite-based parcels (Ermite Les Bessards) suffered blockages in ripening and finished at 13% alcohol; the clay-based terroirs (Le Méal Les Beaumes) didn't stop ripening and finished at 15%. The overall blend will be powerful but fragrant complex and stylistically sits within other recent dry and hot vintages and isn't outside the current norm (it's nothing like the similarly extreme 2003). Picking started at the end of August. (Drink between 2030-2047)"


Vinous - "I tasted various separately vinified lieux-dits that will eventually curate the 2022 L'Hermitage. Both the L'Ermite and Les Bessards the cuvée?s backbone show terrific structure finesse and complexity. I am totally taken by the sheer beauty of the Les Beaumes with its striking inner energy and the mesmerizing floral lift of the Péléat. Cropped at an overall 30 hL/ha the ripeness of the vintage is skillfully balanced by lifting freshness throughout all components. I can't wait to taste the final result. (96-98pts)"


Jeb Dunnuck - " The 2022 Hermitage will be a beauty, but it has the focused, firmer, straight style of the vintage. As usual, I was able to taste through all of the lieux-dits: Péleat, Les Beaumes, L'Ermite, Le Méal, and Les Bessards, all being mid- to upper-90s ratings, the standouts being L’Ermite and Bessards, with the Méal possessing a more focused, tannic style than normal. All of the barrels I was able to taste had remarkable purity, beautiful overall balance, and classic Hermitage class, with an incredible sense of minerality. This is a great wine, but it's going to take a decade of bottle age. The firmer structure and incredible minerality actually remind me of the 1998, although I think there's a touch more sun-kissed fruit here. (95-97+)"