Domaine Jean Louis Chave - Hermitage 2022
Price: $325.00
| Producer | Domaine Jean Louis Chave |
| Country | France |
| Region | Rhone |
| Varietal | Syrah |
| Vintage | 2022 |
| Sku | 799940 |
| Size | 750ml |
Steeply rising to a height over 1,100ft above the river below, Hermitage looms over the surrounding landscape. Blessed with a southern exposure its terroir is dominated by granite soils on the west that link it to the soils of the Massif Central to its west. On its eastern edge one finds deposits similar to the soils in the Alps.
Despite Hermitage's visual size what's planted is relatively small, just 136ha total. Yet it has a diverse soil makeup and therefore a number of defined sub plots are established. Which brings us to what makes the Hermitage of Domaine Jean-Louis Chave so great. Be it red or white Hermitage, any bottling by Domaine Jean-Louis will always represent the entirety of the hill. He skillfully blends his parcels together making a more complete wine in the process. As he says, he makes "Hermitage not Chave."
His whites exemplify what Hermitage blanc should be, wines of richness without heaviness. They are as Jean-Louis says when referencing dishes to pair them with "..wines for the richness, poularde, cream." Like his reds, they have a capacity to age and gain complexity. On our last visit in his cellar tasting the 2004 and 1971 Jean-Louis told us he loves his Hermitage blancs with morels in particular.
His Syrah from Hermitage is certainly one of the greatest reds in the world in any vintage. A visit to his Domaine will reveal how each plot (vinified separately), incredible as they are when tasted on their own, become even more when they all play a role in the blend.
Jeb Dunnuck: 95-97+ Points
The 2022 Hermitage will be a beauty, but it has the focused, firmer, straight style of the vintage. As usual, I was able to taste through all of the lieux-dits: Péleat, Les Beaumes, L'Ermite, Le Méal, and Les Bessards, all being mid- to upper-90s ratings, the standouts being L’Ermite and Bessards, with the Méal possessing a more focused, tannic style than normal. All of the barrels I was able to taste had remarkable purity, beautiful overall balance, and classic Hermitage class, with an incredible sense of minerality. This is a great wine, but it's going to take a decade of bottle age. The firmer structure and incredible minerality actually remind me of the 1998, although I think there's a touch more sun-kissed fruit here.
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