Hermitage

"Still in barrel at the time of this tasting, the 2013 Hermitage will certainly be one of the wines of the vintage. Offering classic, granite-induced notes of smoked dark fruits, graphite, searing... minerality and bouquet garni, this sensational Hermitage has medium to full-bodied richness, beautiful mid-palate density and building tannin, all with the freshness and purity of the vintage. Reminiscent of a more backwards, tight, focused and granite-driven year (I asked Jean-Louis if there was a similar vintage he could recall, he commented that he couldn't think of one), it has solid ripeness in its aromas and flavors, good sweetness in its tannin, and a great finish. I suspect it will need 7-8 years of cellaring and keep for 20-25 years or more." 94-97 pts., Jeb Dunnuck, robertparker.com

"A complex bouquet evokes ripe blackberry, cherry compote, licorice and violet, energized by a spicy cracked pepper nuance. Broad and fleshy in the mouth, offering densely packed, smoke-tinged... black/blue fruit, exotic spice and floral pastille flavors that pick up a minerally nuance as the wine opens up. Shows superb delineation and spicy lift on a long, silky finish framed by steadily building tannins. There were five demi-rnuids of this wine in 2019, all of them new." 94-96, Josh Raynolds, www.vinous.com