Chapoutier Le Meal Ermitage Blanc 2005 (750ML)

 

Superdense, with lots of bass showing now--anise, fennel seed, cardamom, glazed pear and fig--but there's still plenty of minerality behind it all, with a long, salted butter finish that just won't quit. Best from 2010 through 2025. 499 cases made, 56 cases imported. - JM, Wine Spectator

 

More over the top and decadent than the Cuvee de l’Orée, the 2005 Ermitage le Meal Blanc has overflowing notes of celery seed, sautéed peaches, honeycomb and underlying minerality that literally come soaring from the glass. Full-bodied, thick, unctuous and hedonistic to the max, it lacks a touch of the precision found in the Cuvee de l’Orée, yet makes up for it in sheer hedonistic pleasure and exuberance. It has the concentration to continue drinking nicely for another two decades or more. - Jeb Dunnuck, Wine Advocate

 

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