2003 Ermitage Le Pavillon
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Tasting notes
Even better, and topping out on my scale, the 2003 Ermitage le Pavillon comes all from the granite soils of the Les Bessards lieu-dit and was aged 100% in new barrels. Its inky ruby/black color is followed by off the hook aromas and flavors of plum, creme de cassis, licorice, crushed rocks and violet/incense-like qualities. This gives way to a full-bodied, dense, seamless and textured 2003 that has building tannin, awesome concentration and a blockbuster finish. Drink it anytime over the coming two decades, although, as with the Le Meal, it’s gorgeous now. Finishing harvest at the end of August, Michel Chapoutier produced a monumental lineup of wines in 2003, and enough can’t be said about the quality coming for this estate. To say I was blown away would be an understatement.
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
Bright, deep red. Spicy, vibrant and tangy nose offers redcurrant, wild strawberry and minerally raspberry tones. Impressively fresh and nervy on the palate, with lift and thrust to the exuberant red fruit tones. As this opens in the glass, the fruit tones take a darker turn toward blackberry and cassis, also picking up notes of graphite and licorice. The deeply concentrated, spicy and wonderfully long, sweet finish is framed by huge but remarkably integrated tannins. (JR)
Full ruby color. Vibrant aromas of blackberry, licorice, violet, iris and minerals. Markedly different in style from the last few samples, with its stony minerality giving it terrific inner-mouth energy and grip. Youthfully inky, extraordinarily dense black fruit flavors barely hint at the fireworks to come with a decade or more of aging. As chewy as a solid on the back end, coating the mouth with rich, complex tannins. Builds slowly and inexorably. A great showing today. These 2003 Hermitage cuvees should be among the monuments of the vintage.