Hermitage Rouge 1999

Chave, J-L

Units	Size	Case size	GBP Price:	Quantities	Buy
24	75cl Bottle	Case 12	£8,700 per Case	Cases	[Add to shopping basket]

Tasting Notes
The 1999 L’Hermitage is an entirely different proposition with melted red fruit, clove, Italian meats and a touch of garrigues, biding its time before opening fully. The palate is reaching full maturity with firm tannins, red fruit infused with clove and thyme, less dense and muscular than bottles I tasted several years ago. Perhaps I would still afford it just another couple of years in bottle. There was one addition. Score: 95 Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2022-2050 03 June 2022
The 1999 Hermitage is huge, with a deep, enveloping core of dark red and black fruit, smoke, tobacco and cured meats. Wild overtones run through the finish. Today the 1999 does not appear to be an especially refined Hermitage, but at the same time, I would be tempted to cellar bottles for a few years, as the density of the fruit is almost overpowering, especially next to some of the more polished wines that follow. Score: 95 Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com 01 May 2014
Good full ruby. Jammy black fruits and pepper on ths nose; distinctly wilder than the 2000. Fat, thick and powerful, with huge fruit and impressive volume. Offers an uncanny combination of flesh and thrust. Very silky in texture but with excellent acidity and lift. The big tannins spread out to coat the entire palate. This complete Hermitage actually closed down in my glass. I'd expect it to need a good decade before approaching maturity. Score: 95 Stephen Tanzer, Vinous.com 01 January 2002
Dionnieres, tasted from barrel on its finings: Red-ruby. Roasted redcurrant, raspberry, espresso, licorice, game and a hint of pepper on the nose. Thick yet delicate, with pinot-like weight, silky texture and spicy red fruit flavors. Not especially large-scaled, and very easy to view today. Rocoules: Deep ruby-red. Blackberry, cassis and a pungent whiff of cassis leaf on the nose. More volume and velour than the Dionnieres, but more backward at the moment. Very ripe but not at all over the top. Finishes with big, ripe tannins that spread out over the palate. Beaume: Bright ruby-red. Rather aggressive aromas of cassis, black cherry, licorice, leather and pepper. Dense, chewy and rather oaky; superripe and quite powerful (perhaps too powerful, says Jean-Louis). Finishes with big chewy tannins. L'Hermite: Bright ruby. Sappy, liqueur-like aromas of kirsch, blackberry and licorice. Densely packed and solidly structured, with powerful red fruit flavors. Here the tannins show the toughness of soil rich in granite, giving the wine an uncompromisingly dry impression. Flavors run more to black fruits on the back end. A second sample of L'Hermite, this one from a loamier portion of this lieu-dit: Bright ruby. Sappy aroma of raspberry confit. More powerful and deeper than the above; also quite dry. Finishes with chewy but well-buffered tannins. Really classic syrah. Peleat: Aromas of spicy black cherry, mint and espresso. Dense and concentrated in the middle, quite tight on the end. The same juice in a more recent barrel showed more perfumed fruit in the middle palate (too pommade, opined Gerard). Here the wood sweetens the fruit and extends the finish. But still rather tough on the back end. Meal: Medium ruby. Spicy aromas of raspberry, cherry, violet and licorice; shows great finesse on the nose. Then tightly wound, penetrating and powerful, with noteworthy supporting structure. Another great expression of syrah. The yield in this plot was almost twice as high as in '98. Bessards: More sauvage aromas of black cherry, espresso, smoke, minerals and game. Superconcentrated and dense; the fruit coats the entire mouth, and the big, rich tannins reach the front teeth. Perhaps the best lot of all in '99. As always, it difficult to predict the final blend, but the quality of the raw materials suggests that the wine will rate 93-96. Score: 93 - 96 Stephen Tanzer, Vinous.com 01 January 2001

Tasting Notes

The 1999 L’Hermitage is an entirely different proposition with melted red fruit, clove, Italian meats and a touch of garrigues, biding its time before opening fully. The palate is reaching full maturity with firm tannins, red fruit infused with clove and thyme, less dense and muscular than bottles I tasted several years ago. Perhaps I would still afford it just another couple of years in bottle. There was one addition.

Score: 95

Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2022-2050 03 June 2022

The 1999 Hermitage is huge, with a deep, enveloping core of dark red and black fruit, smoke, tobacco and cured meats. Wild overtones run through the finish. Today the 1999 does not appear to be an especially refined Hermitage, but at the same time, I would be tempted to cellar bottles for a few years, as the density of the fruit is almost overpowering, especially next to some of the more polished wines that follow.

Score: 95

Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com 01 May 2014

Good full ruby. Jammy black fruits and pepper on ths nose; distinctly wilder than the 2000. Fat, thick and powerful, with huge fruit and impressive volume. Offers an uncanny combination of flesh and thrust. Very silky in texture but with excellent acidity and lift. The big tannins spread out to coat the entire palate. This complete Hermitage actually closed down in my glass. I'd expect it to need a good decade before approaching maturity.

Score: 95

Stephen Tanzer, Vinous.com 01 January 2002

Dionnieres, tasted from barrel on its finings: Red-ruby. Roasted redcurrant, raspberry, espresso, licorice, game and a hint of pepper on the nose. Thick yet delicate, with pinot-like weight, silky texture and spicy red fruit flavors. Not especially large-scaled, and very easy to view today. Rocoules: Deep ruby-red. Blackberry, cassis and a pungent whiff of cassis leaf on the nose. More volume and velour than the Dionnieres, but more backward at the moment. Very ripe but not at all over the top. Finishes with big, ripe tannins that spread out over the palate. Beaume: Bright ruby-red. Rather aggressive aromas of cassis, black cherry, licorice, leather and pepper. Dense, chewy and rather oaky; superripe and quite powerful (perhaps too powerful, says Jean-Louis). Finishes with big chewy tannins. L'Hermite: Bright ruby. Sappy, liqueur-like aromas of kirsch, blackberry and licorice. Densely packed and solidly structured, with powerful red fruit flavors. Here the tannins show the toughness of soil rich in granite, giving the wine an uncompromisingly dry impression. Flavors run more to black fruits on the back end. A second sample of L'Hermite, this one from a loamier portion of this lieu-dit: Bright ruby. Sappy aroma of raspberry confit. More powerful and deeper than the above; also quite dry. Finishes with chewy but well-buffered tannins. Really classic syrah. Peleat: Aromas of spicy black cherry, mint and espresso. Dense and concentrated in the middle, quite tight on the end. The same juice in a more recent barrel showed more perfumed fruit in the middle palate (too pommade, opined Gerard). Here the wood sweetens the fruit and extends the finish. But still rather tough on the back end. Meal: Medium ruby. Spicy aromas of raspberry, cherry, violet and licorice; shows great finesse on the nose. Then tightly wound, penetrating and powerful, with noteworthy supporting structure. Another great expression of syrah. The yield in this plot was almost twice as high as in '98. Bessards: More sauvage aromas of black cherry, espresso, smoke, minerals and game. Superconcentrated and dense; the fruit coats the entire mouth, and the big, rich tannins reach the front teeth. Perhaps the best lot of all in '99. As always, it difficult to predict the final blend, but the quality of the raw materials suggests that the wine will rate 93-96.

Score: 93 - 96

Stephen Tanzer, Vinous.com 01 January 2001

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