M. Chapoutier : Le Pavillon 2020

Crushed stone, mint, blackberries and cassis all appear on the nose of the 2020 Ermitage Le Pavillon. The great vintages of these wines soak up the oak, as this one has. Full-bodied, concentrated and massive in scale, it's a mouthful of dark fruit flavors that gradually morph into something more savory on the long, silky-firm finish, adding notes of black olives and espresso. It's really impressive, as it maintains a sense of elegance all along its path.

Massive and full-throttled, with beautiful delicacy to the tannins, which gives this a sleek, velvety feel. Packs generous fig, plum and mulled cherry fruit flavors, with great tension and mineral intensity, while a graphite edge drives the length. The subtly chewy, nicely defined close is graced with warm earth accents, harnessing ample energy in reserve. Drink now through 2040. 617 cases made, 12 cases imported.

This has that tell-tale touch of soy to the plum and blackcurrant fruit so reminiscent of this cuvée. Fluid and juicy on the palate, this has great intensity and salinity without feeling heavy or overripe. Plenty of sweet, ripe tannin and balanced acidity. Only medium-bodied, there's a touch of pepperiness on the finish, great freshness, harmony and balance. Sometimes a wine seems a bit too easy, a bit too effortless, and it can lull you into a sense that it lacks seriousness; this wine tries to do that, but I'm not inclined to underestimate it.

Patience, please, but in return you will be given the keys to Hermitage heaven. This is extremely concentrated, but also extremely refined. Incredible finesse for this level of power, with extraordinary density of ripe black fruits. Somehow this manages to smell and taste unbelievably fresh. And that freshness just doesn’t want to stop on the finish. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification. Drinkable now, but best from 2026.

The 2020 Ermitage Le Pavillon is pure gold, and Hermitage doesn't get any better. Incredible aromatics of cassis, graphite, burning embers, and crushed stone all emerge from this beauty. Stunningly proportioned and incredibly pure, it's full-bodied, concentrated, and powerful, but as with all great vintages of this cuvée, it's going to demand bottle age. While Les Greffieux and Le Méal bring much more opulence, this is the powerhouse, long-distance candidate in the lineup. It's an incredible effort. Give bottles upwards of a decade in the cellar, and it should evolve effortlessly over the following 30-40 years.

A dense, racy juice with tannins still a bit tight, but a great wine in the making. In the following vintages, it will include a touch of whole-cluster fermentation and should gain further in finesse and freshness.

While the wine impresses with its density and power, at this stage it is hard to approach and comes across as compact, with a very tight finish. The fruit is present, but the whole is not yet in place, and one must hope that the ageing will soften it a little.