1999 Ermitage Blanc de l'Oree
Estimated value
Buying options
Tasting notes
Kind of a strange wine, the 1999 M. Chapoutier Ermitage Blanc L'Orée is brilliant at times, hard and slightly alcoholic at others. This shows a beautiful light gold color as well as big, rich aromatics of waxy, honeyed fruits, creme brulee, lemon pledge and smoke notes. The palate is full bodied, rich and with a viscous, almost thick texture; this is seriously concentrated and at its best, seams seamless, silky and amazingly long. I drank this over multiple days though and you never knew what you were going to get. Shutting down, slightly oxidized... who knows.
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
Robert Parker
More reviews and scores
The awesome 1999 Ermitage Cuvee de l'Oree flirts with perfection. It is full-bodied, with an incredible bouquet of liquid minerals, licorice, honeysuckle, citrus, and a hint of tropical fruits. One-hundred percent new oak aging has been completely absorbed by the wine's fruit and glycerin. This is a winemaking tour de force, made from exceedingly low yields of 12-15 hectoliters per hectare (less than one ton of fruit per acre). However, readers should understand that these are often unusual wines to drink because they tend to show exceptionally well for 4-5 years after bottling, then close up until about age 12. They can last for 4-5 decades. Anticipated maturity: now-2006; 2012-2050. Along with Gerard and Jean-Louis Chave, Chapoutier is producing the finest expressions of white Hermitage. His single vineyard cuvees are to die for if you like these eccentric, idiosyncratic, mammoth dry whites. Importer: Paterno Imports, Lake Bluff, IL; tel. (847) 604-89000
Superripe, liqueur-like aromas of roast apple and cinnamon; suggestion of crab apple. Not as fresh as it should be, perhaps simply due to low SO2 But chewy and dense. From low-cropped 50-year-old vines picked very late.
The awesome 1999 Ermitage Cuvee de l'Oree flirts with perfection. It is full-bodied, with an incredible bouquet of liquid minerals, licorice, honeysuckle, citrus, and a hint of tropical fruits. One-hundred percent new oak aging has been completely absorbed by the wine's fruit and glycerin. This is a winemaking tour de force, made from exceedingly low yields of 12-15 hectoliters per hectare (less than one ton of fruit per acre). However, readers should understand that these are often unusual wines to drink because they tend to show exceptionally well for 4-5 years after bottling, then close up until about age 12. They can last for 4-5 decades. Anticipated maturity: now-2006; 2012-2050. Along with Gerard and Jean-Louis Chave, Chapoutier is producing the finest expressions of white Hermitage. His single vineyard cuvees are to die for if you like these eccentric, idiosyncratic, mammoth dry whites. Apr 2002, www.robertparker.com