M. Chapoutier : Le Pavillon 2014

The 2014 Ermitage Le Pavillon is another wine from this team that defies the vintage. Full-bodied, concentrated, impeccably balanced and seamless, with classic notes of crushed rocks, graphite, cassis and blackcurrants, it hits the palate with no hard edges, has a great mid-palate and possesses sweet tannin. Michel commented that this wine reminded him of the 1982, and while it offers pleasure even today, it won’t hit maturity for another decade.

Juicy and energetic, with lots of raspberry, blackberry and boysenberry confiture notes, inlaid with briary grip. Hints of sage, mint and tobacco fill in throughout, while a flash of iron enlivens the finish. Best from 2018 through 2030. 26 cases imported.

So sultry and spicy, this wine gives more and more as it sits in the glass. Smoky aromas like dying cinders mingle with seared meat and sun-dried herbs in a deep, savoury expression. There’s good depth of fruit, but it’s dark and flecked with graphite and pencil shavings. The tannins are ever-present, but they’re fine, sooty and delicate.

Made from 65 year old vines on the granitic Bessards section of Hermitage. Some very assertive red plum, red nectarine and orange zest. There is a wealth of spice and dark mineral-flecked interest. The palate is extremely supple and smooth with attractive, fine-cut tannins. A long, plush and very polished dark plum stone finish. Drink 2020 and beyond.

Tasted before bottling. Superb granite-driven juice, with deep, flavorful black fruit (blackberry), a creamy touch lifted by notes of graphite; the saline finish is intense, and the whole is persistent and magical. You need to taste the other single-parcel wines to understand this wine’s magic.

Full bottle 1,394 g. From a distinctive four-hectare parcel made up of fine sediments on granitic subsoil. Hand-picked to the limit of over-maturity from low-yielding old vines. All destemmed and fermented in concrete. One or two treadings a day and fermentation temperature held at 32 °C. Four- to five-week maceration. Only free-run juice. Aged between 18 and 20 months in oak casks (30% new). Natural clarification. Certified biodynamic. Deep blackish, shaded ruby. Much richer nose than Les Greffieux. Really spicy and great breadth of fruit almost distracts from the massive tannic charge of a wine that, nevertheless, has considerable polish. Great tannin extraction! Meaty, bone-dry, long finish. This should have a very long life. (JR)