Ermitage Le Pavillon, Maison M. Chapoutier 2016

Aged entirely in barriques (25% new), the 2016 Ermitage le Pavillon shows only a hint of warm pencil shavings on the nose, beautifully setting up notes of fresh blackcurrants. Full-bodied, concentrated and plush across the mid-palate, it turns rich and velvety on the nearly endless finish, marked by savory notes of beef, licorice and espresso. If you wish to catch a glimpse of this wine's greatness, it would be no crime to open a bottle upon release, as I suspect it will close down for a number of years soon afterward.

More structured and tannic, yet sensationally concentrated, the 2016 Ermitage Le Pavillon comes all from the broken granite soils of the Bessards lieu-dit and was brought up in just 30% new French oak. It gives up awesome notes of blue fruits, crushed rocks, graphite, and lit gunpowder. Rich, full-bodied, and incredibly massive and opulent on the palate, yet with serious amounts of tannins, extract, and depth, it's a tour de force and one of the gems in the vintage as well as a monumental Hermitage. Hide bottles for 5-7 years, count yourself lucky, and enjoy over the following 4-5 decades.

A 30-year wine, the 2016 Ermitage le Pavillon is inky in color, displays the essence of crushed rock on the nose, offers flavors of dark chocolate, espresso and scorched meat on the palate and lingers forever on the finish. This full-bodied, intensely concentrated and tannic wine represents the essence of Les Bessards. Looking at my notes, the rating may well prove to be conservative. Drink Date 2025 - 2045