Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Rouge (1997)

Zusätzliche Information

Vinee Beschreibung und Bewertung

94/100 PP

'The 1997 Hermitage rouge is unusual in its fruit-forward, user-friendly style. The color is a dense ruby/purple. The gorgeous, evolved bouquet of cassis, minerals, herbs, underbrush, and licorice is intense. Creamy-textured, full-bodied, and opulent, this low acid, gloriously ripe, layered 1997 can be drunk now, but promises to be even better with another 5-6 years of cellaring; it will last for 20-25 years.'
(Robert M. Parker, Jr., robertparker.com)

92-95/100 vinous.vom

From various vineyard components, tasted separately:
Diognières: Bright red-ruby. Expressive, superripe aromas of redcurrant liqueur, roast coffee and smoke. Fruity and intensely flavored; less expressive in the mouth than on the nose and just beginning to reveal its sweetness.
Rocoules: Pungent, pure aromas of spicy cherry and redcurrant complicated by an herbal nuance. Suppler entry, then more rigorous in the middle, with sound acids and structure for the vintage. Less confituré and more precise than the above sample.
Beaume: Raspberry, redcurrant, minerals and spices on the nose; slight crystallized fruit character. Thick and dense but closed in on itself today; the densest sample to this point. Very long, spicy, firmly tannic aftertaste.
Péleat: Ruby-red. Sweet, pure but less expressive aroma dominated by cassis and blackberry. Very rich and concentrated, with a distinctly glyceral, silky texture. Fresh and roasted cherries in the mouth. Explosive finish features suave tannins and notes of torrefaction. A superb sample.
L'Hermite: Syrupy black cherry and cassis on the nose. Fat and soft; this technically is higher in acidity than the last but tastes sweeter. Distinctly jammy fruit character. 13.5% natural alcohol here.
Méal: Bright, saturated ruby-red. Precise, fresh aromas of black cherry, minerals, espresso and game. Lovely black fruit and spice flavors are already expressive. Impeccably balanced. Finishes with firm, ripe tannins. This would make a complete Hermitage on its own. Bessardes: More reticent on the nose; notes of iron, fresh blood and small red fruits. Supple, deeply fruity and penetrating. Fruity, palate-staining aftertaste goes on and on. Another cuvée of Bessardes: More aromatic nose of cassis, gunflint, Cuban tobacco and game. Silky-rich and very suave, with complex inner-mouth flavors. Long and complete.
The finished wine should be an extremely rich, complex, stylish wine with the sheer fat to age, but should also deliver considerable early pleasure.
(Antonio Galloni, vinous.com)

Die Weine von der Domaine Chave sind ebenso rar wie legendär. Seit 1481, also seit über 600 Jahren produziert die Familie, heute geführt von Jean-Louis Chave, die Referenz für große Weine aus Syrah. Alle großen Weinkritiker und Experten, sei es aus Frankreich, England oder den USA, verneigen sich vor ihrer großen Leistung über Jahrhunderte.  Da die Weine aus der Domaine Chave immer ausverkauft und in die kleine Produktion von ca. 2.000 Kisten/Jahr strengstens limitiert sind, hat Jean-Louis vor einigen Jahren damit begonnen, unter dem Namen 'Jean-Louis Chave Sélection' klassische Rhôneweine zu produzieren, für die er als Négociant die Trauben bei befreundeten Winzern aus besten Lagen selektiert und dann nach seinen Vorstellungen vinifiziert. Die daraus bisher erzielten Ergebnisse lassen Großes erwarten! Dennoch geht nichts über einen Hermitage Rouge oder Blanc der Domaine. Nach mind. 10-20 Jahren Reifezeit werden sie zu unvergesslichen Wein-Erlebnissen.