2017 Fayolle Hermitage les Dionnieres
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Tasting notes
Glass-staining ruby. Displays intense, mineral-drenched blackberry and cherry compote flavors, along with hints of exotic spices and incense. Round and fleshy but lively as well, offering sharply defined black/blue fruit and spicecake flavors that are supported by a spine of juicy acidity. A smoky nuance appears on the youthfully tannic, penetrating finish, which hangs on with strong, spice- and mineral-driven tenacity. The interplay of power and finesse here is quite impressive. (fermented in used 600 liter barrels and raised in used barriques)
Critic scores
Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
Burning embers, toasted spice, graphite, and terrific currant-like fruits emerge from the 2017 Hermitage Les Dionnières, which is medium to full-bodied and nicely balanced, with silky tannins and a beautiful finish. It has an approachable, seamless style, yet still has enough tannins to warrant just short-term cellaring. It's a seamless, character-filled Hermitage with loads to love.
The 2017 Hermitage les Dionnieres matures in two-year-old barriques, so there is a subtle wood component here, which nicely frames the blueberry fruit. Medium to full-bodied, the tannins are firm but ripe, imparting a tight-knit, silky feel on the palate, while the finish is long and complex, adding hints of crushed stone and black olives. Give it a few years in the cellar and drink it over the next 10-15 years.
If the prebottling sample of the Fayolles' 2017 Hermitage Les Dionnieres is truly representative, purchasers will be in for a treat. It's inky dark in color, with a cassis-laden nose that's marked by hints of crushed stone. It's full-bodied and concentrated, tannic without being hard or overdone, and despite ample ripeness, there's structure and freshness. It looks to be the complete package and potentially in the same ballpark (quality-wise) as the impressive 2015.