M. Chapoutier : Le Pavillon 1998

Fresh ruby-red. Fruit-driven, very primary aromas of cassis, wild cherry, leather and pepper. Lush, rich and deep; showing more sweetness and texture today than the more backward Meal. This large-scaled wine has superb density and clarity of flavor. Finishes with big, ripe tannins and outstanding length. Perhaps more complete than the Meal.

It’s been over 5 years since I last popped a cork on this wine, and time has been good to this one. Dense, concentrated, full-bodied, dark and intense, the fruit is ripe, lusty, round, polished and mouth-filling. Long and rich, the fruit lingers on the palate. Decanted for about 90 minutes, the wine improved in the glass for another few hours. Most of the oak has fully integrated into the wine.

Dark red color. Medium to good intensity. Lively. Beautiful. Nose of medium intensity. Refined. Very fine nascent bouquet from reduction, with notes of coffee. The entry on the palate is meticulous and the wine develops juicy, concentrated, very, very fresh, with flavors of licorice then strawberry. Slow, meticulous tannic evolution, lively, with nuanced flavors of coffee and strawberry. Long, enveloped finish. Here, once again in 98, the tannin grain is very fine. A lovely wine appreciated for its accessibility. A high-level wine in any case.

The 1998 Ermitage Le Pavillon flirts with perfection once again. Revealing a striking bouquet of violets, blackberries, smoke, licorice, and mineral notes, it is luxuriously rich, full-bodied, and layered on the palate. This is a wine with a finish that lasts beyond a minute. Remarkably, yields were a mere 10 hectoliters per hectare. There is plenty of tannin on the finish, but it is ripe and well-integrated. Anticipated maturity: 2010–2050. Importer: Paterno Imports, Lake Bluff, IL; tel. (847) 604-89000