Coming from the Les Murets lieu-dit (which is on the eastern side of Hermitage hill, located further down on the slope) and vines over 80 years in age, the 2012 Ermitage Cuvee de l’Oree is about as good as white Hermitage gets. Offering incredible aromatics of buttered citrus, honeyed apricot, celery seed and a liquid rock-like minerality, it flows onto the palate with full-bodied richness, brilliant concentration and laser-like focus that carries through the finish. Spectacular on all accounts, it’s monumental stuff that will age for decades. Drink it over the coming 4-5 years (there is no harm in drinking these beauties young), or hold off until around 2022. 

This was an incredible tasting with Michel Chapoutier and his second hand man, Pierre-Henri Morel. Certainly one of the success stories in wine, which Robert Parker does a fabulous job of detailing in Issue 204, this estate goes from strength to strength in just about every appellation in the Rhone Valley. Looking specifically at Hermitage, Chapoutier owns a massive 64 acres, mostly on the famed Bessards lieu-dit, yet also with significant portions on Le Meal, L’Ermite and Les Greffieux, with smaller portions in the Beaume and Murets lieux-dits. From this he fashions five reds (Monier De La Sizeranne, Les Greffieux, Le Meal, Le Pavillon and L’Ermite) and four whites (Chante Alouette, Cuvee de l’Oree, Le Meal Blanc and L’Ermite Blanc), all of which are brilliant wines, with the best ranking up alongside the top wines in the world. In addition, his Saint Josephs (Les Granits and Le Clos) are some of the leading wines of the appellation (along with Guigal’s Vignes de l’Hospice and a few others), and his Cote Rotie La Mordoree, which comes from his 12 acres (split between the roughly defined Cote Blonde and Cote Brune regions), is always a classic example of the appellation. I was also able to taste through a full lineup of his Languedoc and Roussillon releases, all of which were impressive. I’ll review those wines in my 2014 coverage on those regions.

Score: 99 Robert Parker (RP), The Wine Advocate (WA), December 2013