M. Chapoutier : Le Pavillon 2000

Year in and year out, one of the three greatest Hermitages made is Chapoutier’s Le Pavillon. The black/blue-colored 2000 Ermitage Le Pavillon is brilliant out of bottle. Notes of graphite, ink, licorice, crème de cassis, and minerals leap from the glass of this syrup of Hermitage. Full-bodied, unctuously textured, gorgeously rich, spectacularly concentrated and long, it is a tour de force in winemaking. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2040. (I disagree, but Michel Chapoutier feels his finest three Le Pavillons to date have been 1991 followed by 1995 and 2000. I retain a preference for the glorious trilogy of 1989, 1990, and 1991.) These uncompromising offerings from a young genius are not meant for consumers who want something to drink immediately. They are the essence of biodynamically farmed vineyard sites cropped incredibly low, given extended fermentations with indigenous yeasts, and rarely touched until they go into the bottle unfined and unfiltered. In most vintages, the wines are not even racked off their lees, which only adds to their natural style. These are truly remarkable wines, but for most readers, patience is the operative rule as they generally need a good 8-10 years to strut their stuff. Once moribund, over the last 12 years, this firm has become one of the reference points for nearly all the Rhone Valley appellations since the brash yet immensely talented Michel Chapoutier took over in the late eighties. The single-vineyard offerings are as good as Rhone Valley wines can be. Moreover, Chapoutier continues to upgrade the quality of those wines offered in more significant quantities than the 500 or so cases each of the single-vineyard offerings. Importer: Paterno Imports, Lake Bluff, IL; tel. (847) 604-8900

Fantastic. A great Syrah, thick and rich and ripe, opulent and full-bodied, delivering layers of blackberry, subtle oak and toasty notes, some mineral, smoked bacon and grilled meat. Gorgeous finish. It's tempting now but will go on for a long time. Best from 2006 through 2020. 885 cases made, 25 cases imported.

Surprisingly charming at a young age for Chapoutier. Vanilla, licorice, fresh cherry and black raspberry notes, tannins that had clearly softened, and a fruit-filled finish put everything exactly where it should be. Still young, but fun to drink at this early stage.

Now fully mature, the 2000 Ermitage Le Pavillon shows a healthy ruby hue and a quintessential perfume of red and black fruits, scorched earth, leather, graphite, and roasted herbs, and if this beauty doesn’t make you think Hermitage, I don’t know what will. These same notes carry onto the palate, where the wine has shed its baby fat and today shows a still full-bodied, concentrated style with a liquid granite-like sense of minerality, flawless overall balance, mostly resolved tannins, and a still layered core of sweet fruit. The overall impression is of a fabulous Hermitage at its peak. I love it today and see no need to delay gratification, but well-stored bottles should easily evolve for another 15–20 years.

Deep, saturated garnet-purple with a violet sheen. Concentrated, smoky bouquet with deep tar-like spice, black truffle, chestnut wood, coffee; on the second nose, dense fruit emerges—small black berries, Provençal herb tones, even a hint of mint. On the palate, multilayered flavors echo the nose, with a ripe tannin-acid frame, muscular, with untamed intensity, needing at least five more years of bottle age, potentially reaching the level of a wine of the century.

Slightly cloudy, intense color. Gamey, fruity, reductive, ripe and fresh nose. The palate starts rounded, then becomes very fruity, tight, flavorful, with firm tannins. Floral, fruity finish, but a bit square. Not very tasty. Nine years ago I rated it 16.25 at the estate, i.e., 89.