2012 Hermitage

Inky ruby. A highly perfumed bouquet evokes candied black and blue fruits, smoked bacon and violet. Pliant, appealingly sweet dark fruit flavors are sharpened by zesty acidity and become spicier with air. Bright, focused and pure, with excellent back-end power and smooth, well-knit tannins adding shape and grip to the sweet finish.

The 2012 Hermitage shows the richness of this appellation, with masculine, muscular aromas and flavors of graphite, cracked pepper, smoked earth and copious black and blue fruits. Full-bodied, rich and concentrated, with ample tannin and concentration, it’s a big wine that will need short-term cellaring to become approachable. Give it 3-4 years and enjoy over the following 12-15 years. Proprietor Michel Tardieu makes a bevy of high-class efforts from throughout the entire Rhone Valley. While the focus here is on his Northern Rhone releases, I reviewed a number of his Southern Rhone bottlings in Issues 209 and 210. Importer: Wilson-Daniels, St. Helena, CA; tel. (707) 963-9661

80% 50-year-old Marsanne, 20% 40-year-old Roussanne. Light nose for the moment. Some strong herbal notes but none of the drama of, say, a Chapoutier or Chave. It's all restraint for the moment. I'd guess grown on some of the lighter, less marked soils? A refreshing white Hermitage? Definitely needs time. (JR)