E. Guigal : Ex Voto 2015

Features a gorgeous brioche frame around the creamed pear, yellow apple, quince and white peach flavors, with glistening verbena, honeysuckle and green almond notes on the finish. Showy and beautiful. Marsanne and Roussanne. Best from 2020 through 2030. 292 cases made, 88 cases imported.

This has a very oaky nose thanks to the extended ageing in 100% new oak. Notes of cashew, marzipan and macadamia lead into a very full and flowing palate with generous glycerol and silky oak, and acidity which is a touch low. It is powerfully rich and ripe, with plump fruit underneath and a very long finish. The abiding impression remains of the very good quality oak. Give it time. 20% Hermite, 80% Murets.

Intriguing flinty reductive hints alongside the fat fruit and sweet oak. Opulent and oversized, but keeps the balance, and has a sort of dried-fruit/mixed-peel richness to it. Loads of length! Pithy and grippy on the length. A good case for drinking white Hermitage young, I think! Yes, it could age, but that fruit already seems evolved and ready to go. Finishes with positively Burgundian minerality. (RH)

(aged for 30 months in 100% new oak barrels) Limpid yellow-gold. Smoke- and mineral-tinged orchard and pit fruit and honey aromas show outstanding clarity, and a sexy floral element emerges slowly. Intense, palate-staining pear, peach nectar and tangerine flavors show superb energy and complicating notes of anise, iodine and nougat. Fleshes out and becomes spicier on the mineral-driven finish, which hangs on with outstanding tenacity and a lingering floral quality.

Dripping with luscious, rich, ripe, sweet citrus and ripe white peaches, the wine shows a honeysuckle and crushed rock character that adds to its complexity. With ample weight and density, this should age quite well.

Medium deep golden colour. The nose is rich and intense combining high ripeness with stoniness and floral notes. Lush apricot, crushed nuts, wax, fresh butter and some earthy mineral ginger and truffle notes paired with a fine toastiness. The palate is ample and powerful with an opulent texture, very fine extract adding grip and length as well as the notion of freshness. Layers of ripe stone fruit, candied citrus and hazelnut followed by a very long, dense and powerful finish. A very bold and structured wine with huge potential.

The 2015 Ermitage Ex Voto Blanc is certainly in the same league as the 2009 and 2010, and it’s going to be interesting to compare these vintages over the coming 2-3+ decades. The 2015 has all the hallmarks of a great vintage with its huge bouquet of quince, toasted almonds, brioche, liquid rocks, and honeysuckle as well as a touch of licorice. Sensationally concentrated, opulent, and multi-dimensional on the palate, it has bright acidity and an awesome sense of minerality that keep the wine chiseled and focused on the palate. It has the structure of a red wine and will keep for 4-5 decades. Bravo!

Ripe, clear nose without heaviness; a well-managed palate, given a certain breadth by the vintage, yet the greatness of the terroir brings fine mineral bitterness and honeyed notes.

Smoke, cedar and vanilla tones are pronounced now, but plenty of succulent white peach, apricot and tangerine pulses at the core of this generous white. Rippling and rich yet freshly balanced, it's a sturdy bottling built for the long haul. Drink through 2026.