Domaine Jean-Louis Chave
Hermitage Syrah
Hermitage, Northern Rhône, Rhône, France
Sour blue fruit, dried sage, blood, a real freshness. Lovely savory juice with real intensity. Excellent. Decades ahead.
Sour blue fruit, dried sage, blood, a real freshness. Lovely savory juice with real intensity. Excellent. Decades ahead.
Apr 28th, 2019
A little bottle shock as you just brought back from HK...Leverage! I’ve never used this descriptor before but it just ratchets up every level of intensity and complexity as she opens! Wow!
A little bottle shock as you just brought back from HK...Leverage! I’ve never used this descriptor before but it just ratchets up every level of intensity and complexity as she opens! Wow!
Apr 1st, 2019
Always a favorite. 2006 provides a bit more verve and zest than other years.
Always a favorite. 2006 provides a bit more verve and zest than other years.
Dec 28th, 2016Granite. The wine has great freshness of fruit and funk. Bright, biologique, red fruit; lean body and phenolically ripe velvet tannins; starting to develop secondary and tertiary notes of smoke, ash, and graphite.
Granite. The wine has great freshness of fruit and funk. Bright, biologique, red fruit; lean body and phenolically ripe velvet tannins; starting to develop secondary and tertiary notes of smoke, ash, and graphite.
Dec 3rd, 2016I love Chave Hermitage but every time I taste it I always think, "man Lagier Meredith Syrah is really amazing". Plus I am saving about $300!
I love Chave Hermitage but every time I taste it I always think, "man Lagier Meredith Syrah is really amazing". Plus I am saving about $300!
Jul 29th, 2016Beautiful, elegant Syrah. Sour cherry, old rose, tapenade, cured meat, pepper, cassis. Everlasting finish.
Beautiful, elegant Syrah. Sour cherry, old rose, tapenade, cured meat, pepper, cassis. Everlasting finish.
Apr 15th, 2015
Chave Rouge 06. Plenty of heat and a little oak too it seems (could be wrong). Oak will integrate, heat is surprising. Serious peppered beef and teriyaki jerky. Some black red fruit - black cherry. Hints of jello tease overripeness but this remains sharp and poignant. The pure jello influenced fruit makes me think few stems here, too. Oak seems to present itself not as vanilla thankfully but in a beautiful hazelnut quality that matches the fruit perfectly and uniquely to syrah. Again, this could be something else other than oak. This definitely shows some jello/jelly, no doubt. Totally ripe red cherry actually. Importantly, this has no heaviness in terms of weight or thickness yet is pungently aromatic as first, smoked, peppered meat and second as fruit. This wine makes me think of, all in the same vein, concrete vats, minerality and tiny berries. The teriyaki quality makes me think these are high toast barrels? This should continue to integrate better and better over the coming years. I can't say I ever got the "bacon fat" thing before in N Rhone but this really has Benton's bacon fat to it. Amazing all this umami while still maintaining a bright ripe red-fruited cherry core. Prefer the '06 Jamet right now for its lower alcohol but certainly love the transparency and uniqueness of flavor here. This is likely a bit more structured than the Jamet. Again, I think time will treat this well. This is dried meat while the Jamet was about the long pepper spice. So interesting how different these expressions of syrah are.
Chave Rouge 06. Plenty of heat and a little oak too it seems (could be wrong). Oak will integrate, heat is surprising. Serious peppered beef and teriyaki jerky. Some black red fruit - black cherry. Hints of jello tease overripeness but this remains sharp and poignant. The pure jello influenced fruit makes me think few stems here, too. Oak seems to present itself not as vanilla thankfully but in a beautiful hazelnut quality that matches the fruit perfectly and uniquely to syrah. Again, this could be something else other than oak. This definitely shows some jello/jelly, no doubt. Totally ripe red cherry actually. Importantly, this has no heaviness in terms of weight or thickness yet is pungently aromatic as first, smoked, peppered meat and second as fruit. This wine makes me think of, all in the same vein, concrete vats, minerality and tiny berries. The teriyaki quality makes me think these are high toast barrels? This should continue to integrate better and better over the coming years. I can't say I ever got the "bacon fat" thing before in N Rhone but this really has Benton's bacon fat to it. Amazing all this umami while still maintaining a bright ripe red-fruited cherry core. Prefer the '06 Jamet right now for its lower alcohol but certainly love the transparency and uniqueness of flavor here. This is likely a bit more structured than the Jamet. Again, I think time will treat this well. This is dried meat while the Jamet was about the long pepper spice. So interesting how different these expressions of syrah are.
May 30th, 2014