The 2023 Jean‑Louis Chave Hermitage is a 100% Syrah from Hermitage in the Northern Rhône, made by one of the region’s reference estates: the Chave family, “Vignerons de Père en Fils depuis 1481.” Jean‑Louis Chave, the 16th generation, again builds the wine as a multi-parcel blend drawn from seven lieux-dits—Bessards, L’Hermite, Péléat, Méal, Beaume, Diognières, and Vercandiered—aiming for a complete picture of the hill rather than a single site. Alcohol is reported at 14.5%.

Early critical response is notably strong, and the best scores are excellent even by Hermitage standards. Jeb Dunnuck (98) calls it “another beautiful Hermitage,” emphasizing “the overall purity, elegance, and finesse,” and describing it as “a slight throwback to ripe, yet very classic, mineral-driven examples of Chave’s Hermitage.” Dunnuck usefully maps the blend’s building blocks: Péléat as “more finesse-oriented,” Beaume for “complexity and spice,” L’Ermite for “more minerality and rose petal nuances,” and Bessards as the “granitic, graphite, structured core that defines this cuvée.” He expects “some early enjoyment,” but says “the minerality and structure all point to it having ample longevity.”

Vinous’ Nicolas Greinacher (96) highlights fragrance and lift, calling the wine “hauntingly floral,” with “rose petal, crushed violet, sour cherry, red plum, cedar and a delicate hint of orange blossom.” He notes Les Beaumes for “lively energy and laser-like precision,” while saying Bessards and L’Ermite show “outstanding purity.”

Decanter (97) frames 2023 as “particularly approachable and supple,” driven by “deliciously ripe Méal fruit” and “very elegant” overall, with comparatively modest tannin for the appellation. The upshot: a Chave Hermitage that should drink earlier than many vintages, while still carrying the estate’s hallmark structure and site detail.