Jean Louis Chave   Hermitage Blanc

2007 Hermitage Blanc

By Jean-Louis Chave

Elegant Sophistication: The 2007 Hermitage Blanc from Jean-Louis Chave, Rhone

The 2007 Hermitage Blanc from Jean-Louis Chave is as striking and distinguished as the Rhone terroir from where this unique white gem springs forth. There’s a vintage depth that characterises the 2007 Rhone wines, and Jean-Louis Chave has harnessed this in the Blanc with finesse and mastery that one could only expect from a seasoned producer.

 

A Year of Balance and Bountiful Harvest

The summer warmth of the 2007 season bestowed consistent temperatures and moderate rainfall, gifting the Rhone region, particularly Hermitage, with a generous harvest. This climatic balance is embodied so eloquently in the 2007 Hermitage Blanc from Jean-Louis Chave, making it a vintage to remember for fine wine investors.

On the palate, the wine charms with an exciting encounter of elegant toasty notes combined with ripened fruits like pears and honeyed fleshy apricots, distinctive features of a mature Hermitage Blanc.

 

An Inspired Choice for Investment

Smart, discerning wine investors will appreciate that this 2007 variant has aged remarkably well, emerging as one of the stellar features in the pantheon of Jean-Louis Chave's laudable repertoire. Its attribute of being a white wine cultivated from red wine terroir adds to its allure and investment potential.

Epitomizing elegance and balance, the 2007 Hermitage Blanc from Jean-Louis Chave exemplifies what asset-rich white wines of Rhone are renowned for: distinctive character, consistency and ageing potential. It stands out among its contemporaries as a symbol of the fruitful 2007 vintage, adding to its status as a jewel for investors.

In the sphere of fine wines, the 2007 Hermitage Blanc is a tasteful classic that offers slight notes of intrigue and plentiful returns.

Current market price

$5,560.00

12x75cl

Highest score

95

POP score

222.67

Scores and tasting notes

95

The exuberant 2007 Hermitage Blanc reveals notes of petroleum, crushed rocks, earth, white currants and peaches, an unctuous texture, high glycerin and good acidity. This big, thick white Hermitage will not be as long lived as the 2009, but for drinking over the next two decades, it is impossible to resist. Jean-Louis and Gerard Chave opened a bottle of the 2003 Hermitage Blanc to give me an idea of how this vintage is aging. This monumental offering, which flirts with perfection, has virtually no acidity and is aging beautifully. The Chaves believe it is a repeat of what Gerard’s father made in 1929. Tasting through the different Hermitage vineyards (including Peleat, Les Beaumes, Meal, l’Ermite and Les Bessards), the lowest score any of these lots received was 94-96 (Les Beaumes). The other parcels all merited 97-100 points. The most dominant component part of Chave’s red Hermitage comes from Les Bessards, which many consider to be the greatest vineyard on Hermitage Hill. The next largest is Meal, a vineyard with a more southerly exposure. While Chave has not made their special cuvee, Cuvee Cathelin, since 2003, I suspect one will emerge from the different lots of Les Bessards that I tasted as 2009 is certainly a year where enough wine can be culled out for the Cathelin without sacrificing the monumental quality of the regular Hermitage. This looks to be one of the wines of the vintage, which is not surprising given the fact that the Chave family has more experience than just about anybody in the winemaking world (the domaine was founded in 1481 - nearly a decade before Christopher Columbus discovered America!). Importer: David Shiverick, Los Angeles, CA; tel (213) 483-5900

Robert Parker Jr - The Wine Advocate, 27 February 2011

Vintage performance