M. Chapoutier : Le Méal 2019

This pumps out gorgeous honeysuckle, mirabelle plum, Cavaillon melon and Jonagold apple notes, all on a lush and broad frame that retains form and freshness. Reveals underlying zip from bitter orange and salted butter hints. A beauty. Best from 2023 through 2040. 19 cases imported.

A rich and textural style with a gently smoky element running through it. Fresher than de l'Orée this year, but still massively rich and concentrated with a long finish. Touch of tomato leaf and tangy acidity – a lively style, like a fat man that can dance. 70% aged in demi-muid; 15% new oak, the rest is second- or third-use barrels. The remaining 30% is aged in stainless steel.

Spectacularly complex nose of dried fruit (everything from pear to pineapple) with a whiff of smoke wafting through it. Very rich, but precisely contoured with a very impressive structure, the spiciness building towards the finish. Both succulent and refined at the fabulous, creamy finale. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification. Drink or hold.

The richest and most fruit-loaded of the trio is the 2019 Ermitage Le Méal Blanc, which comes from a warmer terroir. This killer Hermitage Blanc has a vivid gold hue as well as a crazy good nose of quince, honeyed currants, acacia flowers, spice, and orange marmalade. It doesn't have the minerality of the L'Ermite (and to a lesser extent, the De l’Orée) yet has a more opulent, fat, unctuous style that's still flawlessly balanced and remarkably pure. This is another magical Hermitage from Chapoutier that does everything right. I followed this bottle for multiple days and it only improved with air. It's certainly the more early-drinking of these three single-vineyard releases, yet it still deserves 2–4 years of bottle age and should keep for 30 years or more.

Harvested at optimal ripeness—perfectly ripe for this sun-drenched slope—it shows notes of mirabelle plum jam and toasted bread, with a lovely, full-bodied texture; still a little young even though it already tastes excellent, so it’s best to resist the temptation.