M. Chapoutier : L'Ermite 2024

Immediately very savoury in aroma, showing notes of bay leaf, thyme, fleur de sel and petrichor. A touch tighter and more reductive than the other white Hermitage wines this year. It has plenty of body for L'Ermite, and is very complete and well balanced. This is just the essence of granite, so upright, so salty, so tense. There’s freshness too, no heaviness. A very good vintage which has produced a classic Ermite. Grapes were harvested in three passes at the beginning, middle and end of September, as the vineyard is spread across different altitudes.

Cask sample. Just under 0.5 ha, planted with the oldest Marsanne on the estate (including some centenarian vines), on the top of the hill of Hermitage, around the chapel, on poor, shallow granitic soils with loess. East-facing terraces. Hand-harvested on 3, 21, 25 September. Pressing of the whole grape; moderate use of SO2. Light settling. Fermentation with indigenous yeasts in demi-muids (25% new wood) and stainless-steel vats. Aged on total lees for 12 months. Certified organic and biodynamic. pH 3.49, TA 2.85 g/l (sulphuric). Even deeper and with more presence than Le Méal. Spice, leesy richness and with a savoury character as well as deep, spiced pears and roasted almonds. An unexpected minty note. Attention-holding chewy texture. So much body and presence but without heaviness. Remarkable freshness for a wine of such moderate acidity. Long, savoury/salty aftertaste. (JH)

Coming from a great lieu-dit at the top of the appellation with vines just east of the Chapelle that's harvested three weeks after the Marsanne on Le Méal (the warmest site in Hermitage), the 2024 Ermitage L'Ermite Blanc offers sensational aromatics of ripe orchard fruits, blanched almond, croissant, crushed stone, and white flowers. It's rich, full-bodied, has beautiful concentration, integrated acidity, and a blockbuster finish. Dense and incredibly concentrated, it's just an incredible, singular expression of this variety and terroir. Hide bottles for 4-5 years and enjoy over the following two decades. Drink 2030-2050.