Winery - J.L. Chave
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Although Chave’s négociant bottling labeled Offerus can be a bit underfruited in some years, in the superripe 2003 vintage that’s not an issue. It’s rich, full and velvety, with blueberry fruit accented by peppery spice, meaty, black olive notes and a touch of espresso. Delicious now, but should have stuffing to last through 2015.
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J.L. Chave Syrah - 2003
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
A top-notch effort from a difficult vintage, Chave’s 2004 red Hermitage is a complete wine: complex and balanced. Spice, meat and red fruit aromas and flavors swirl together in a mix of power and elegance. Acids are a touch crisp, but that’s the vintage speaking. Drink 2010–2025.
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J.L. Chave Syrah - 2004
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Jean-Louis, the son of Gérard Chave, is now in charge of the family business, as well as being president of the Hermitage wine producers. He is continuing the family tradition of making powerful statements of Syrah from Hermitage, combining massive structure and over-powering perfumes. This 1999 seems to have the best of the traditional world of tannic immensity and the modern world of beautiful, ripe fruit. A wine that will age for a very long time.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Opens with a vibrant berry, chocolate, Asian-spice, rosemary, olive and bacon-fat nose so good you linger before tasting. Sour cherry, licorice, brush, leather and a meaty note show on the palate. The wine is lean yet velvety, with powerful, deep structure. It closes with full, ripe tannins, notes of black tea and pepper. Cellar this keeper until 2004, drink through 2015+.
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J.L. Chave Syrah - 1998
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Chave’s white Hermitage is even better than his acclaimed red in 2004. It’s wonderfully toasty upfront, backed by layer upon layer of honeyed fruit that simply defies description. Yet despite the incredible richness, there’s also tremendous focus and minerality, so that the wine never seems overly weighty, and it finishes with great length and intensity. Drink it now, or try it in 15 years; the 1991 is singing now at age 16.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
In 1996 this extraordinary producer of Hermitage made a wine for the long haul. At release, it displayed superb fruit, bacon, anise, and tobacco flavors, all enveloped by huge tannins. Now it is going through a dumb stage, though the structure is there. Give it ten or 15 years and it will become something extraordinary.
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* Expert NoteDecember 19, 2005
As these wines tend to be, the aromas are elemental, loaded with smoked meat and bacon fat, underbrush and sauvage aromas, earth and leather, smoke mixed with very ripe rich black fruit; intense and sweet in the front of the mouth, the wine assumes a more complex and deep character in the mouth; emerging flavors of pomegranates and red cherries; really elegant in its own basic kind of way; long finish with lots of intensity and dry acidity; needs more time but quite wonderful now. (17.5/20)
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* Expert NoteDecember 19, 2005
Sweet and ripe nose, black fruits, tar, smoke, herbs, earthen and a bit sauvage; sweet and ripe fruit, lots of black cherry and black fruit flavors; coarse tannins, but smooth out in the mouth; a bit diffuse in the mid-mouth, not as focused as the best from this property. (16/20)
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* Expert NoteDecember 19, 2005
A very earthy and spicy nose at first, mixed with ripe black fruits, meaty and gamey, lather, perfumed spices, touch of chocolate, exotic and powerful; smooth and almost unctuous in the mouth, I am always amazed at the thickness of Chave’s wines; at the same time there is fresh fruit and crisp, clean acidity; sweet along the edges; surprisingly suppressed tannins makes this wine quite approachable now; more time in the glass brings out some of the spice and dryness of powerful tannins below the surface; long exotic, spicy finish with sweet fruit and hot mulled wine spices in a powerful citrus base; wonderful wine. (19/20)
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