10 Wines Including 3 Ermitage Blanc & 3 Ermitage Rouge
Hosted by the Chapoutier Ambassador, Damien Agnel
“The story began with Michel Chapoutier, a unique man with a thirst for knowledge, definitely one of a kind. Michel is openminded and always willing to learn. He seeks to discover and reflect the full potential of his terroirs and let the soils express their true character. That which gives the wines their signature style. This now forms the basis of the M. CHAPOUTIER ethos and our team strives to reveal the very best of what the soils have to offer.” (Chapoutier)
Monday September 9th
Masterclass: 5.30-7pm, Wines with Kate Lamont nibbles, $275
Dinner: 7:30pm, Wines & 5 Course Menu, $445
Let’s Start with Michel Chapoutier…
“Michel Chapoutier produces some of the world’s greatest wines from single parcels of old vines spread throughout the northern and southern Rhone…He also has an impressive portfolio of value-priced wines that are often over-looked when this impressive producer is discussed.”
Robert M. Parker Jr.
…he has a global perspective that's probably unmatched in the Rhône.
Joe Czerwinski
“History will record that Michel Chapoutier is a revolutionary.”
Robert M. Parker Jr.
9 of his wines were awarded a perfect 100 points score by Robert Parker in 2015…A huge Record!!!
The Wine List & Menu
1st Course
Collioure 'Chrysopee' Blanc 2015, Our Price $107
Reminding me of a St Péray with its vibrant salty minerality, buttered citrus, toasted nut and quince aromas and flavors, the 2015 Collioure Chrysopée Blanc is beautifully textured, layered and has juicy acidity. It's a killer white to drink over the coming 2-4 years or more. They made a tiny amount of this in 2014, but this is really the first vintage that was released to the market.
94 Points Jeb Dunnuck, The Wine Advocate (April 2017)
Collioure 'Chrysopee' Blanc 2019, Our Price $119
The 2019 Collioure Chrysopée Blanc is more open and expressive than the 2020, no doubt due to the extra year in bottle. It has textbook Collioure notes of crushed citrus, tangerine, iodine, and salty, marine-like nuances. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, it too has bright acidity, a layered, seamless texture, good concentration, and a fabulous finish. It should continue drinking nicely for another year or three, and then have an interesting evolution over the following decade. I wouldn’t be surprised to see this evolve like a great Châteauneuf du Pape Blanc. The blend is 90% Grenache Gris and 10% Grenache Blanc, all from schists soils, that was aged in equal parts new, once-used, and older demi-muids.
96 Points Jeb Dunnuck (January 2022)
Torbay asparagus, preserved lemon vinaigrette
2nd Course
Ermitage Blanc Le Méal 2021, Our Price $395
What an extraordinary interplay of smoky fresh pineapple and stony mineral character this super-concentrated but medium-bodied white Rhone has. The south and the north of wine (in the widest sense) meet in this singularity of the marsanne grape. Gigantic minerality in the totally focused and extremely long, pure finish. From a steep, south-facing slope. Enormous aging potential. From biodynamically grown grapes. Drink or hold.
100 Points Stuart Piggot, jamesssuckling.com (May 2024)
Ermitage Blanc De L’orée 2021, Our Price $395
A refined, textural and vibrant Ermitage white with so much restrained power. There is a saltiness here. Dried lemons, quince peel, grilled almonds, white peaches, wet stones, wild herbs and white flowers mingle successively on the nose. It’s medium-bodied yet it has a gigantic dimension. It’s all contained, restrained and funneled into the precise, highly textural and tense palate. Succulent, with baked lemon character and a long, long finish. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification. Drinkable now, but best from 2025.
99 Points Stuart Piggot, jamesssuckling.com (May 2024)
Ermitage Blanc L’ Ermite 2021, Our Price $930
The nose is like an essence of Mirabelle plums that pulls you into its tight inner orbit like a huge yellow star. This starts so quietly, but expands and expands as it flows over your palate in a way that’s not quite like any other white Rhone I can remember. How can a wine with such gigantic concentration have such perfect balance? The most amazing thing is the way the toasty richness interacts with the primal stony side of the wine: two faces of the same coin. Limited production. From biodynamically grown grapes. Drink or hold.
100 Points Stuart Piggot Jamessuckling.com (April 2024)
Goats cheese gnocchi, green pea pesto
3rd Course
Crozes Hermitage Les Meysonniers 2020, Our Price $47
One of the better values in the Chapoutier lineup, the 2020 Crozes Hermitage les Meysonniers boasts complex aromas of crushed stone, garrigue, blueberries and black cherries. It's medium to full-bodied, supple and easy in the mouth, with a long, silky finish. Slap a burger on the grill and go for it.
91 Points Joe Czerwinski, The Wine Advocate (May 2024)
Lots of black cherry, but also some eucalyptus on the nose of this youthful Crozes-Hermitage. Sleek and crisp with moderate tannins and a cranberry type of acidity that’s pronounced at the finish. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification. Maybe this will show better after another year of bottle age?
90 Points James Suckling Jamessuckling.com (April 2024)
Chateauneuf-du-Pape Barbe Rac 2020, Our Price $184
One of the gems in the vintage is the 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape Barbe Rac, a 100% Grenache that was destemmed and brought up all in concrete tanks. Darker berries, ground pepper, graphite, and savory garrigue are just some of its nuances, and this beauty is full-bodied, has a layered, seamless mouthfeel, ripe tannins, and an awesome finish. It's a brilliant bottle of wine that readers will love. It deserves 3-4 years of bottle age and will shine over the following two decades. Bravo.
98 Points Jeb Dunnuck (November 2022)
Juniper dusted quail, melted beetroot, petite rocket
4th Course
Ermitage Le Pavillon 2021, Our Price $714
Welcome to the seductively dark and smoky heart of Hermitage. Enormously rich and spicy, with great blackberry fruit plus a touch of red beets, then the very bright and pure tannins charge through, followed by the mineral acidity that sets the sky alight at the extremely long and linear finish. How could you resist this beauty that is simultaneously so deep and playful? Great aging potential. From biodynamically grown grapes. Drink or hold.
99 Points Stuart Piggot Jamessuckling.com (May 2024)
Ermitage Le Méal 2021, Our Price $587
Hypnotic nose of the perfectly ripe wild berries and the most aromatic wild herbs plus the smoke from autumn bonfires. Already the first impression on the expansive and extremely dynamic palate is extraordinary, but then the mineral turbo ignites and this just blows you away in the incredibly long, bright finish. Limited production. From biodynamically grown grapes. Drink or hold.
100 Points Stuart Piggot Jamessuckling.com (May 2024)
Ermitage L’ Ermite 2021, Our Price $787
Descend into this labyrinth of spices and you may never return. The black fruit and the most perfect violets will take you prisoner and never release you. Absolutely astounding tannin structure, not from the quantity, but from the finesse and the beauty. Then the explosive finish that pulls you up in the direction of syrah nirvana. From biodynamically grown grapes. Drink or hold.
100 Points Stuart Piggot Jamessuckling.com (May 2024)
Twice cooked lamb shoulder, saffron braised tomatoes, leafy greens
Salted caramel affogato
Unique, unconventional, curious about everything, Michel Chapoutier’s mind has never been static. Michel is always on the move, so are his ideas, his Tastes and his wishes. "If I stay still, I fall." Michel is a “wine-lover” and “life-lover”, he is enthusiastic and selfless. Michel’s wine-journey began when he was 26 years old. He became head of M. CHAPOUTIER and was not an inheritor : his choices and his vision were disruptive. He stood up against principals of the past and preconceived ideas. A wine grower? We would rather say a farmer. A man close to the earth, in a thorough quest for revealing terroirs and finding the expression of soils through the Taste of wines.
A book, a painting, a wine: Michel Chapoutier falls in love ten times per day. There are no half measures, he either loves it or hates it. He loves culture. All cultures, without exception.
(Source: Chapoutier Official Site)
…And the wines now….
Ermitage Blanc Le Méal 2021
100 Points Stuart Piggot, jamesssuckling.com
97 Points Matt Wall, Decanter
97 Points Jeb Dunnuck
96 Points Nicolas Greinacher, Vinous
95 Points Joe Czerwinski, The Wine Advocate
18 Points Jancis Robinson
Ermitage Blanc De L’orée 2021
99 Points Stuart Piggot, jamesssuckling.com
96 Points Joe Czerwinski, The Wine Advocate
96 Points Jeb Dunnuck
95 Points Matt Wall, Decanter
95 Points Nicolas Greinacher, Vinous
17.5++Points Jancis Robinson
Ermitage Blanc L’ Ermite 2021
100 Points Stuart Piggot Jamessuckling.com
98-100 Points Joe Czerwinski, The Wine Advocate
98 Points Matt Walls, Decanter
96-98 Points Jeb Dunnuck
96 Points Nicolas Greinacher, Vinous
18+Points Jancis Robinson
Ermitage Le Pavillon 2021
99 Points Stuart Piggot Jamessuckling.com
95-97 Points Joe Czerwinski, The Wine Advocate
96 Points Matt Walls, Decanter
94-96 Points Jeb Dunnuck
94 Points Nicolas Greinacher, Vinous
18 Points Jancis Robinson
Ermitage Le Méal 2021
100 Points Stuart Piggot Jamessuckling.com
94-96 Points Jeb Dunnuck
95 Points Decanter Matt Wall
93-95 Points Joe Czerwinski, The Wine Advocate
Ermitage L’ Ermite 2021
100 Points Stuart Piggot Jamessuckling.com
98 Points Matt Walls, Decanter
95-97 Points Joe Czerwinski, The Wine Advocate
94-97 Points Jeb Dunnuck
18 Points Jancis Robinson
Let’s look at the winery….
World Most Admired Brands since its first
edition in 2011!!
World Most Admired Brand No27 2024
World Most Admired Brand No 15 2023
World Most Admired Brand No 22 2022
World Most Admired Brand No 19 2021
World Most Admired Brand No 26 2020
World Most Admired Brand No 5 2019
World Most Admired Brand No 6 2018
World Most Admired Brand No 8 2017
World Most Admired Brand No 5 2016
World Most Admired Brand No 11 2015
World Most Admired Brand No 14 2014
World Most Admired Brand No 4 2013
World Most Admired Brand No 7 2012
World Most Admired Brand No 44 2011
…and was ranked the first French brand 5 times in 9 years
(2012, 2013, 2016, 2018 and 2019!)
“This estate goes from strength to strength in just about every appellation in the Rhône Valley… From the top to the bottom of the range, you can’t go wrong”
Jeb Dunnuck
M. Chapoutier Context
“This estate goes from strength to strength in just about every appellation in the Rhône 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. Not enough can be said about the quality that consistently comes from this estate. From the top to the bottom of the range, you can’t go wrong. And while the prices at the top are frightfully expensive (they’re out of my zip code), there are incredible values from St Péray, St Joseph, Cornas and Crozes Hermitage that should be snatched up by readers.”
Jeb Dunnuck, The Wine Advocate
“Michel Chapoutier produces some of the world’s greatest wines from single parcels of old vines spread throughout the northern and southern Rhone… he also has an impressive portfolio of value-priced wines that are often over-looked when this impressive producer is discussed.”
Robert M. Parker Jr.
