1989 | Chave | Hermitage

1989 Hermitage blossoms beautifully with a bit of time in the glass as it gains depth, volume and complexity. The aromatics and overall vibrancy are just captivating. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, complex and very nicely focused, with a rock solid core, moderate tannins and a very long, poised and impressively tangy finish.

Reviews:

• Decanter: 1990 is rightly touted as one of the greatest Rhône vintages, but it overshadows the excellent preceding year. Chave's 1989 is masterful. Still with a little blackcurrant and raspberry fruit, this has spicy, savoury faces and a gruff, grunty element. It's still full in body but the tannins are fading now, whereas fresh acidity remains, and it's sinewy in texture, reminiscent of an old man's musculature. It's rounded and fruity on the palate, with plenty of nutmeg, cinnamon, burning fireworks and woodsmoke, joined by a little truffle and cheese rind with some air. It's saline on the finish, showing spectacular length still with some sweet raspberry and kirsch. Highly complex and utterly authentic: unmistakable terroir.

• Jeb Dunnuck: Wow, the aromatics on 1989 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage are just about as good as it gets with rich, spice laden red and black fruit mixed with some serious dirt, smoke and raw meat aromas. Full bodied and beautifully textured, it's precise, pure and almost silky with a long finish. Drinking perfectly.

Producer Information

Going back to 1481, when the first Jean-Louis Chave was gifted a vineyard in St Joseph by the nobleman Farconnet, 25 generations have farmed some of the best parcels in the Northern Rhône. Though now known as perhaps the best producer of Hermitage (and certainly among the best blenders in the world), the family only expanded to this famous hill during the mid-1800s wave of phylloxera that decimated Europe's vineyards.
In the 1970s, when Gerard Chave took over from his father, the domaine rapidly achieved megastar status due to the extraordinary quality of his wines. Gerard's son Jean-Louis (25th of his name) now oversees the estate and has shown an ever expanding dedication to improving the already stunning quality of these rare wines. Jean-Louis Chave regularly dedicates the domaine to intense and exacting projects, the benefits of which will be seen by future generations. Indeed, the estate employs three full time stonemasons just to repair the traditional stone walls dotting the vineyards.
Since the 1990s, Jean-Louis Chave has offered a second label known as 'J.L. Chave Sélection' that provides a glimpse of the reason for the estate's fame at a fraction of the price. Many of these wines are from declassified estate wine and long term farming contracts, and are vinified in the domaine's primary cellar in Mauves.

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