WTN: 1998 Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage

[David M. Bueker]

1998 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage (1/22/2015)
A very good friend opened this for me to celebrate my birthday. It's so young, but wildly delicious. The smokiness on the nose nearly overwhelms everything else for the first half hour, then all the meatiness and earthiness comes in, fleshing out the aromatics. The acid backbone makes the wine feel much lighter than it actually is, but the depth of flavor is there, and the persistence is undeniable. The wine just goes on and on and on and on. Great experience.

That would definitely put some happy in my birthday! Hope you had a great day.

[Jenise]

Me, too, John! Chaves are really special, I love the thing the French call 'animale' that nearly every Chave I've ever had has. Not quite funk or "ass in a glass" as some of my friends call it, something more refined and yet attractive to me on a purely, blush blush, almost primal level of attraction. Btw, the 2009 Reynvaan 'The Contender' I opened on Thursday night had that in spades. I swooned throughout.

[David M. Bueker]

New world Syrah is starting to become more than just fruit juice. Sadly it's only folks like us who appreciate the better examples.