Chapoutier Le Meal Ermitage Blanc 2005 (6.0L)

97 WS / 96-97 WA

..deep, rich and layered, the smoking 2005 Chapoutier Ermitage Le Meal Blanc gave up plenty of white currants, honeycomb, licorice and buttered nut notes in its full-bodied, rock star personality. It has decades of life left. 97 Points - Jeb Dunnuck, Wine Advocate's Hedonist's Gazette, May 2014

Superdense, with lots of bass showing now--anise, fennel seed, cardamom, glazed pear and fig--but theres still plenty of minerality behind it all, with a long, salted butter finish that just wont quit. Best from 2010 through 2025. 499 cases made. James Molesworth, Wine Spectator

The warmest terroir for the white Ermitage cuvees is Le Meal, an upper mid-slope terroir with a great exposition.The most flamboyant of these wines, the 2005 Ermitage Le Meal blanc, exhibits notes of buttered citrus, copious tropical fruit, crushed rocks, white currants, and an amazing amount of honeysuckle allied with good acidity and enormous body. Robert Parker, Wine Advocate