Chapoutier Ermitage Le Pavillon 2012 (750ML)

100 WA / 96 WS

Sharing some similarities to the le Meal (yet its from a very different terroir), with its full-bodied, decadent, heavenly profile that somehow stays pure, poised and elegant, the 2012 Ermitage le Pavillon (767 cases) offers an extraordinary perfume of cassis, raspberries, crushed flowers, powdered rock and smoked earth. Coming all from the granite soils of the les Bessards lieu-dit, which produces some of the most muscular, concentrated wines on the planet, this serious 2012 is more approachable than either the 2009 or 2010, yet certainly is at the same level of quality. Give it 6-7 years in the cellar and enjoy it through 2042.

Michel Chapoutier has once again produced one of the reference-point lineups for the entire Rh«ne Valley. Certainly, his 2012s lived up to my billing last year, and theyre easily some of the finest efforts produced in the vintage, not only with his top cuvees in Hermitage and C«te R«tie, but also in the up-and-coming appellation of St Joseph, as well as in Condrieu (where his Coteaux du Chery is one of the finest in the appellation), St P'ray and Crozes Hermitage. Jeb Dunnuck

This has terrific energy, with zesty loganberry, blackberry and boysenberry coulis flavors, pushed by a grippy dark ganache note. Bramble and anise accents fill the background, with a long, racy, acidity-driven finish that lets the fruit play out wonderfully. Should cruise in the cellar. Best from 2018 through 2030. From France. James Molesworth