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2016 M. Chapoutier Ermitage Les Greffieux

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Latest Sale Price

December 17, 2023 - $150

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RATINGS

98Jeb Dunnuck

...rich, powerful, black-fruited expression of this cuvée, offering up tons of blackcurrants, blackberries, smoked earth, chocolate, and spice...full-bodied, sensationally concentrated, and opulent on the palate...

97The Wine Advocate

Violet and crushed stone notes perfectly complement the cedar and baking spices of new oak in framing ripe blackberries and blueberries. Full-bodied, rich and concentrated yet silky in feel, it adds savory notes of black olive and licorice on the long, mouthwatering finish.

97Vinous / IWC

Vibrant, sharply focused aromas of fresh dark berries, licorice, incense, exotic spices and candied violet on the highly perfumed nose. Seamless and energetic on the mineral-accented palate, which offers vivacious red and blue fruit preserve and floral pastille flavors that deepen and turn spicier as the wine opens up. Closes on a resonating mineral note, with slowly building tannins, lingering florality and remarkable persistence.

96Wine Spectator

Mulled black cherry and blackberry fruit melds with mesquite, bay leaf and pepper notes, ending with black tea and incense details that stitch up the finish. Very perfumed and beguiling...

94-95James Suckling

Wild, exotic fruit, pepper and spice here. This is really wild. Blood-orange, herb and dark, spicy notes run riot amid dark, ripe, blood plums and punchy, fresh oak. The palate delivers a big serving of rich, dark plums and berries with fleshy impact and a powerful, tannin structure.

94Wine Enthusiast

Layers of smoke and earth keep this wine tightly closed upon opening but aeration coaxes out ripe, almost sun-baked notes of black plum and cherry preserve.

18Jancis Robinson

Excellent purity of fruit. Blueberry, black cherry...softer tannin... Fragrant and perfumed on the finish, with violet and rose aromas.

PRODUCER

M. Chapoutier

Founded in 1808, M. Chapoutier is one of the most renowned producers of the Rhone Valley. Though the producer was for much of its history a negociant known for decent but unremarkable wines, the newest generation of the Chapoutier family to run the business, Michel Chapoutier, has since the early 1990s turned the estate into a star. Michel embraced biodynamic viticulture in 1989, completely renovated the cellars and upgraded the elevage by using small oak barrels. With 151.9 acres of vineyards divided between the north and south regions of the Rhone Valley, M. Chapoutier is also one of the largest producers. Nearly 120,000 bottles total are produced each year. The prestige cuvees at the top of the M. Chapoutier line are neither fined nor filtered, giving them a richness and great concentration. Grapes grown by the estate are Syrah, Marsanne, Grenache, Grenache Blanc, Clairette, Bourboulenc and Roussanne. The vines average between 50 and 100 years old.

REGION

France, Rhône Valley, Northern Rhône, Hermitage

The Northern Rhône Valley wine region hugs the Rhône River from Vienne in the north to Valence at its southern tip. The French call the region Côtes du Rhône Septentrionales, and it is divided into eight appellations. Along with its neighbor to the south, the Southern Rhone Valley, it is famous for its big, tannic, intensely concentrated wines. Syrah is the only red grape permitted in AOC wines from this sub-region, though the Syrah can be blended with the white wine grapes Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne, depending on the regulations for each AOC. White wines are made from Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne. Of the eight appellations in the north, the most admired wines tend to come from Côte-Rôtie, Condrieu and Hermitage, though there are certainly exceptional wines to be found in St. Joseph, Crozes-Hermitage, St.-Peray, Crozes-Hermitage and Cornas. Along with Bordeaux, Burgundy and Champagne, Rhône wines are among France’s best known and most collected wines. Red wines from these appellations are notable for their signature aromas of bacon and green olives, and for their depth. Robert M. Parker, a great champion of Rhone wines, has written that “the northern Rhône produces three of the greatest wines in the world – the white wines of Condrieu and the red wines of Côte-Rôtie and Hermitage.”

TYPE

Red Wine, Syrah (Shiraz)

This grape is grown in milder climates and produces a medium-to full-bodied wine. It is also known as Shiraz, but should not be confused with Petit Sirah, which was developed by crossing Syrah with Peloursin.

VINTAGE

2016 M. Chapoutier Ermitage Les Greffieux