Pale color. Reticent but complex nose hints at honey, hay, smoke and mint. Dense but tight; not fleshy or round today but very nicely delineated. The Granits blanc is rounder and more open today but this is ripe, spicy and very long.

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The great American patriot and wine connoisseur Thomas Jefferson called Hermitage "��the single greatest white wine of France."�� Slightly lower-keyed, but still prodigious, the 2001 Ermitage Cuvee de l'Oree does not possess the muscle, volume, or weight of the 2000, but it is a beautifully etched, elegant, intensely mineral wine offering hints of white flowers, citrus oils, and earth in its dense, full-bodied, chewy personality. Like its older sibling, it will be delicious in its first 3-4 years of life, then close down, to re-emerge 10-12 years later. It will last for three decades or more.

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Rich and ripe, yet so elegant and refined. Full-bodied, with a creamy texture, it blends almond paste, butter, citrus and dried fruit into an intriguing whole. Smells like a sweet wine, but this wine has been fermented dry and would make a sensational match with many foods.

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