Domaine Jean-Louis Chave
Hermitage Syrah
Hermitage, Northern Rhône, Rhône, France
Great quality and bright and sharp. Defined and excellent. Great
Great quality and bright and sharp. Defined and excellent. Great
Aug 15th, 2025Really floral and fleshy on the nose. Cherry, rose, inkiness… great stuff. Medium bodied alongside the 1990 but pretty and defined. Excellent
Really floral and fleshy on the nose. Cherry, rose, inkiness… great stuff. Medium bodied alongside the 1990 but pretty and defined. Excellent
Jul 17th, 2025An explosive supple nose with rose, hints of tar, gnarly intense fruit in the middle. Fresh and powerful still. Spectacularly complex. Iron and salinity on the finish. Wow
An explosive supple nose with rose, hints of tar, gnarly intense fruit in the middle. Fresh and powerful still. Spectacularly complex. Iron and salinity on the finish. Wow
Jul 17th, 2025Gorgeous on the nose. Roses, some gnarly fruit and a hint of funk. Beautiful and complex and balanced. Soft in the mid palate… soft red cherry. Excellent and fully mature.
Gorgeous on the nose. Roses, some gnarly fruit and a hint of funk. Beautiful and complex and balanced. Soft in the mid palate… soft red cherry. Excellent and fully mature.
Jul 17th, 2025
Presented to me double-blind. The wine pours a brilliant, deep ruby color with a transparent core and some rim variation; medium+ viscosity with moderate staining of the tears and faint signs of sediment. On the nose, the wine is developing with a heady perfume of mostly ripe and some tart fruit: mixed brambles, black cherry, purple flowers (lavender?), animale, some pepper, a touch of olive, a touch of leather, some green herbs, fine warm spices and rocky earth. I believe this has seen oak and it’s beautifully balanced and smells expensive. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Alcohol is medium+. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and the texture is grippy. This is delicious.
Initial conclusions: this could be Sangiovese, Pinot Noir, Gamay, a Grenache-based blend or possibly Syrah; from Italy, or France. Immediately after I was presented the glass, I liked this being Sangiovese, however, there was too much new French oak for me to feel comfortable. Besides, the florals were too purple to be Sangiovese anyway (never mind Grenache or Pinot Noir). Then there were the non-fruits: it could be justified by whole cluster Pinot or Gamay…or was this a really impressive Syrah? This wine seemed familiar to me. This could be Chave. I did think this had some age based on color and rim variation. Final conclusion: I’m calling this Syrah, from France, from Northern Rhône, Hermitage, with 20+ years of age, from a decent vintage like 2004. And for the hell if it, I called producer: Jean-Louis Chave. Boom. Bottle No. 3981
Presented to me double-blind. The wine pours a brilliant, deep ruby color with a transparent core and some rim variation; medium+ viscosity with moderate staining of the tears and faint signs of sediment. On the nose, the wine is developing with a heady perfume of mostly ripe and some tart fruit: mixed brambles, black cherry, purple flowers (lavender?), animale, some pepper, a touch of olive, a touch of leather, some green herbs, fine warm spices and rocky earth. I believe this has seen oak and it’s beautifully balanced and smells expensive. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Alcohol is medium+. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and the texture is grippy. This is delicious.
Initial conclusions: this could be Sangiovese, Pinot Noir, Gamay, a Grenache-based blend or possibly Syrah; from Italy, or France. Immediately after I was presented the glass, I liked this being Sangiovese, however, there was too much new French oak for me to feel comfortable. Besides, the florals were too purple to be Sangiovese anyway (never mind Grenache or Pinot Noir). Then there were the non-fruits: it could be justified by whole cluster Pinot or Gamay…or was this a really impressive Syrah? This wine seemed familiar to me. This could be Chave. I did think this had some age based on color and rim variation. Final conclusion: I’m calling this Syrah, from France, from Northern Rhône, Hermitage, with 20+ years of age, from a decent vintage like 2004. And for the hell if it, I called producer: Jean-Louis Chave. Boom. Bottle No. 3981
A really complex noise. Herbs and red cherry. Wood and redcurrant, thyme. No Intense but light. Exceptional
A really complex noise. Herbs and red cherry. Wood and redcurrant, thyme. No Intense but light. Exceptional
Jun 26th, 2025great fruit. Fresh and primary. Needs time but great potential
great fruit. Fresh and primary. Needs time but great potential
Nov 19th, 2024Lovely plum and sour cherry. A bit tight. Bright.
Lovely plum and sour cherry. A bit tight. Bright.
Nov 19th, 2024From Mag. An absolute wow of a bottle. The nose is crazy intense, lucid and profound. Dark plum fruit with a whiff of band aid, iron, black pepper, a tangy meatiness. Loads of delicate floral notes floating around, but a soulful and pristine bottle. As fresh as an early 2000’s bottle but so much age and precision going on. Wonderful. Just spectacular.
From Mag. An absolute wow of a bottle. The nose is crazy intense, lucid and profound. Dark plum fruit with a whiff of band aid, iron, black pepper, a tangy meatiness. Loads of delicate floral notes floating around, but a soulful and pristine bottle. As fresh as an early 2000’s bottle but so much age and precision going on. Wonderful. Just spectacular.
Sep 7th, 2024