Domaine Jean-Louis Chave
Hermitage Syrah
Hermitage, Northern Rhône, Rhône, France
Reddish tawny. Interesting nose. Notes of coffee and molasses, black fruit, earth and dirt, and some slate stone. Decent finish. Guessed "old Rhone" which was all I had at that point, which was better than other guesses given the smells and notes were complex. This had a heavier profile and was a little darker than the 83, but the 83 seemed to be the better bottle today. Still a great treat to try this (but drink up soon if you're sitting on bottles!)...
Reddish tawny. Interesting nose. Notes of coffee and molasses, black fruit, earth and dirt, and some slate stone. Decent finish. Guessed "old Rhone" which was all I had at that point, which was better than other guesses given the smells and notes were complex. This had a heavier profile and was a little darker than the 83, but the 83 seemed to be the better bottle today. Still a great treat to try this (but drink up soon if you're sitting on bottles!)...
Oct 16th, 2021
Slightly odd on the nose. Bananas? Slightly scorched. There’s lovely intense fruit. Super fresh and rounded- but a slightly strange nose. When revealed... wow. I can’t believe young the fruit still is. Nearly a great wine but odd bits going on take the edge off.
Slightly odd on the nose. Bananas? Slightly scorched. There’s lovely intense fruit. Super fresh and rounded- but a slightly strange nose. When revealed... wow. I can’t believe young the fruit still is. Nearly a great wine but odd bits going on take the edge off.
Mar 11th, 2020Tasted blind. Dark tawny. Mostly opaque. Funky nose. My wife would call it ”dirty socks”. Notes of plum, black cherries, sage spice, black pepper and some musty wet dirt. Angular in the mouth. Good finish. Guessed 88 Chave.
Tasted blind. Dark tawny. Mostly opaque. Funky nose. My wife would call it ”dirty socks”. Notes of plum, black cherries, sage spice, black pepper and some musty wet dirt. Angular in the mouth. Good finish. Guessed 88 Chave.
Dec 8th, 2019
Surprisingly mature.
Surprisingly mature.
Feb 14th, 2017Funky nose at first but a beautiful palate with great acidity and balance- chave white
Funky nose at first but a beautiful palate with great acidity and balance- chave white
Jul 29th, 2015
Rustic blood iron beautifully balanced.
Rustic blood iron beautifully balanced.
Jan 24th, 2015Smokey, Briney, intense with olive, saline, mineral character: swoon
Smokey, Briney, intense with olive, saline, mineral character: swoon
Nov 28th, 2014
Elegant, seamless, and tertiary. It has all the Chave signatures in their final forms.
Elegant, seamless, and tertiary. It has all the Chave signatures in their final forms.
Nov 9th, 2014
This is a beautiful Chave It needs at least one and a half hours to open and show its richness and depth. It was paired against the 1978 La Chapelle which also showed extremely well. After 1.5 hours the two wines were in tandem as to quality if not as to profile. The Chave showed that classic pheromonal element that the La Chapelle does not, while the La Chapelle showed its elegance in spades.
This is a beautiful Chave It needs at least one and a half hours to open and show its richness and depth. It was paired against the 1978 La Chapelle which also showed extremely well. After 1.5 hours the two wines were in tandem as to quality if not as to profile. The Chave showed that classic pheromonal element that the La Chapelle does not, while the La Chapelle showed its elegance in spades.
Oct 8th, 2013