M. Chapoutier’s Ermitage “De l’Orée” 2017 is a single-parcel white Hermitage made from 100% Marsanne, sourced from the Les Murets lieu-dit on the Hermitage hill. The vines are old—Decanter specifies “over 70 years old”—and the wine is shaped as much by site as by élevage. At 13.5% alcohol, it is built for texture and length rather than overt lightness, and it sits firmly in Chapoutier’s richer, age-worthy style for white Hermitage.
The 2017 is particularly well reviewed. Decanter’s 99-point assessment stands out as an excellent review, calling it “rich and opulent,” with “yellow peach and honeycomb,” and emphasizing that it “coats the mouth, and somehow stays fresh despite its richness.” Decanter also notes “good balancing acidity,” “huge length,” and “a great mineral expression,” concluding plainly: “2017 is an exceptional year for de l’Orée.” Decanter reports maturation details of “80%…in demi-muid for 11 months, 15% new oak, and the rest in stainless steel,” and places the vineyard on “pebbly, sand and clay soils.”
Jeb Dunnuck (98 points) also delivers an excellent review, describing “a big, rich, exotic effort” loaded with “caramelized citrus, white flowers, green almonds, and licorice,” finishing with “a rounded, layered texture, and a great finish.” He adds that it’s made in “a slightly more fresh, focused style” and will “benefit from short-term cellaring.”
Other critics underline the wine’s mineral edge. James Suckling (95) highlights a “stony and flinty nose” alongside “freshly baked bread crust” and citrus, with a “minerally, focused” finish. Vinous (Josh Raynolds, 95) notes “smoky mineral” lift and a “strikingly long, focused finish.”
Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate (96) reports “909 cases” produced and calls it “a big but balanced wine,” noting it “lacks the zest and freshness of the 2016” but “should still drink well for close to two decades.”
