1996 | Domaine Jean-Louis Chave | Hermitage

Mouthwatering from the start, with white pepper, tobacco, iron and dried currant notes rippling along, showing still-vivacious acidity underneath and a long, mesquite- and cedar-filled finish that has excellent drive. This is a high-acid vintage and stands a bit apart from the flight stylistically.

Reviews:

• Wine Advocate: A late vintage that’s compared to 2013 by Jean-Louis, yet that carried more crop, the 1996 Hermitage is a juicy, medium-bodied effort that’s ready to go. Giving up classic herbed game, bacon fat and sweet fruit, it should continue to evolve gracefully, but there’s no reason to hold off here.

• Wine Enthusiast: In 1996 this extraordinary producer of Hermitage made a wine for the long haul. At release, it displayed superb fruit, bacon, anise, and tobacco flavors, all enveloped by huge tannins... it will become something extraordinary.

Producer Information

Domaine Jean-Louis Chave is a powerhouse wine producer based in the village of Mauves, in the Saint-Joseph region and just over the Rhône river from Hermitage – the source of the estate's most acclaimed wines. Chave's red and white Hermitage – based on Syrah and Marsanne and Roussanne respectively – are some of the most important in the Rhône Valley, commanding both high prices and exceptional, sometimes 100-point scores. The Chave holding counts some 14.5 hectares (36 acres) of land in Hermitage, making it one of the largest land owners in the appellation. The vineyards are terraced and today cover eight different plots on the hill (some of which, including holdings in the likes of the Méal and Bessards sections, are highly coveted), providing a range of mesoclimates and terroirs for the Chave wines. Many of the vines are between 30 and 60 years old. The plots are brought to the winery and vinified separately. Grapes are usually destemmed, and are fermented in stainless steel before being aged for up to 18 months in oak, a small portion of which is new. All of the wines are bottled unfiltered. Jean-Louis Chave make several wines under the Hermitage banner. The generic red and white Hermitage wines are Chave's flagships, although the range is headed by the Cathelin cuvée – one of the Rhone's most collectable wines. Chave also makes a couple of wines from Saint-Joseph and a Côtes du Rhône wine. Several wines are produced under the family's négociant arm: JL Chave Séléctions. The Chave family have been growing grapes since 1481, and today the domaine is run by Gerard Chave and his son, Jean-Louis.

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