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2009 Chapoutier Ermitage Cuvee de l'Oree Marsanne
Marsanne: 750ml
$229.99
about this wine:
As I have written many times, all of these wines are produced from
rigidly cultivated, bio-dynamically managed vineyards. That has been the
rule since Michel Chapoutier first took over this firm in the late
1980s. Now, with over 20 years of biodynamic viticulture under his belt,
Chapoutier remains committed to this rather radical style of organic
farming. He believes the effect is to reduce rot in damp, rainy
vintages. Moreover, he has observed that after 10 to 15 years of
biodynamic farming, the natural acids tend to be more vivid and the
overall pH of the soils (as well as the wines) has dropped.
Controversial, outspoken and brutally candid, Chapoutier, who suffers no
fools, continues to admirably produce wines that are among the finest
in the world and potentially the longest lived. Refusing to acidify,
chaptalize, or touch the wines in any way, he clearly wants every wine
to capture the very essence of its terroir and vintage personality. In
this, he succeeds remarkably.--- Robert Parker
points awarded:
WA 100 WS 97Chuck Hayward, JJ Buckley, March 2011
100% marsanne from vines that are 60-70 years old. Straw yellow in color. This is a perfectly poised wine that is clean and bright with a touch more weight than the "Le Meal" cuvee. Flavors of firm pears dominate the entry of this medium weighted wine. The focused fruit, while not exotic or tropical, is packed and concentrated in the finish promising more richness and greater texture with some short term cellaring. Tasted as a barrel sample three months before release.
100 points,
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, December 2011
There are 477 cases of the light gold-colored 2009 Ermitage Cuvee de l'Oree, which I would be happy to insert in a blind tasting against the world's greatest dry white wines, including Montrachet. The famous gout de petrol is there along with hints of citrus oil, wet steel, crushed rocks, quince, white currants, anise and honeysuckle. Very full, with off-the-charts intensity, this wine was fashioned from yields of 13 hectoliters per hectare (which is financial suicide) from 90 to 100-year old Marsanne vines. The result is an amazingly concentrated white wine that should drink well for 50+ years.
97 points,
Wine Spectator, April 2012
A ripe, full-bodied style, with fig, creamed pear, McIntosh apple and melon flavors laced with sweetened butter and guided by a macadamia nut edge on the finish. Youthfully raw and a bit unbridled right now, but this should settle into itself with time. Best from 2015 through 2027. From France. -J.M.
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