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Hermitage 2015

Chave, Yann

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Units Size Case size GBP Price: Quantities Buy
60 75cl Bottle Case 12 £695 per Case Cases [Add to shopping basket]
Tasting Notes

From 40-year-old vines in lieux-dits Beaume and Péléat, the grapes are hand harvested. There's no pigeage, just déléstage, and the wine is matured in new and one-year-old demi-muids for 12 months, followed by a further six months in tank to settle and meld before bottling. This is a very deep, dark colour still, and quite closed on the nose, although there's a whiff of soy and hot tar. The palate has a massive, statuesque tannic structure, a little blocky still and it needs time to resolve. It's a very savoury style of 2015 Hermitage with plenty of impact and promises a lot. It has all it needs, and is currently like a coiled spring. Do buy it, but sit on it until 2025. (Matt Walls)

Score: 96

Decanter, Decanter.com Maturity: 2025-2040 17 June 2019

A wine that doesn’t get the recognition it deserves (probably because it’s made in tiny quantities), the inky colored 2015 Hermitage from Yann Chave comes all from the Les Beaumes lieu-dit and was completely destemmed and brought up in demi-muids. It is a rich, concentrated, yet structured Hermitage that's going to require patience. Cassis, saddle leather, peppery herbs and scorched earth give way to a beautifully balanced, pure and focused 2015 that has plenty of raw material, yet isn't going to be much fun to drink in its youth.

Score: 95

Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com Maturity: 2023-2038 24 January 2018

The 2015 Hermitage, from the lieux-dits of Les Beaumes and Péleat, was aged entirely in new demi-muids. It's a full-bodied, rich wine that retains a sense of freshness with its mouthwatering flavors of cassis, blackberries and blueberries accented by hints of espresso, crushed stone and licorice. Nearly approachable now, it also shows some firm tannins on the finish, suggesting two decades of longevity. The soft-spoken Yann Chave owns 18.5 hectares in Crozes-Hermitage, all of which are in the area of Chassis, a terroir of galets roulés and red clays. He also has 1.2 hectares in Hermitage, in the lieux-dits of Les Beaumes and Péleat. Viticulture has been organic since 2007. He points out that 2014 and 2016 are better for whites than 2015, which he calls, "too heavy." For the reds, he says he loves 1999 and he thinks 2015 is a repeat of that fabulous vintage.

Score: 94

Joe Czerwinski, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2022-2035 29 December 2017

Cask sample. Tasted blind. Dark purple. Great intensity and vibrancy. Fine, grainy tannins and lots of intensity. Great freshness and cleanliness too. Promises very well. Flamboyant but convincing.

Score: 18

Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com Maturity: 2027-2040 17 October 2016

Inky ruby. Deep-pitched dark berry preserve, licorice pastille and floral aromas are joined by peppery spice and olive nuances in the background. Sappy and focused on the palate; concentrated bitter cherry and cassis flavors are given backbone and cut by juicy acidity. A smoky nuance comes out on the strikingly long, dark fruit-dominated finish, where gently chewy, harmonious tannins provide shape.

Score: 91 - 94

Josh Raynolds, Vinous.com 01 March 2016