($132) Good full ruby. Jammy black fruits and pepper on ths nose; distinctly wilder than the 2000. Fat, thick and powerful, with huge fruit and impressive volume. Offers an uncanny combination of flesh and thrust. Very silky in texture but with excellent acidity and lift. The big tannins spread out to coat the entire palate. This complete Hermitage actually closed down in my glass. I'd expect it to need a good decade before approaching maturity.

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Relatively pale and evolved-looking. Real lift on the nose but lighter than the 2004 overall. Great balance but a bit more austere than the 2004. Very serious and correct with nice length. Sinewy. Polished. A bit muted. Is there very, very low-level brett in this wine? It held up pretty well in the glass - very ballerina-like.

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The dense saturated purple-colored 1999 Hermitage had been bottled only 24 hours before my visit. It is a brilliant effort. The wine exhibits fabulous texture, purity, and sweetness as well as a finish that lasts for nearly a minute. There is high tannin, remarkably rich, concentrated extract, and tell-tale Hermitage fruit characteristics (blackberries, cassis), minerals, and spice. This is the greatest vintage Chave has produced since 1990. While it requires 7-10 years of cellaring, it will last for 4-5 decades.

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Rich and ripe, full-bodied, with great sweet fruit character. Lovely, thick, attractive (almost like a dessert wine), with mineral but also plum character, blackberries, fresh figs, smoke and toasty notes. It kicks in with good intensity on the finish.

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Utterly sensational, from nose to finish, with many more glorious years to go!