Ermitage Rouge Les Greffieux 2015 M Chapoutier

Ermitage Rouge Les Greffieux M Chapoutier, Hermitage, Northern Rhone, France 2015 

Grape: 100%; organic Syrah produced using biodynamic principles. 3.5ha vineyard, hand harvested, totally destemmed grapes, free-run juice only used for fermentation in cement vats, barrel ageing for 14-18 months (33% new oak, the rest in used wood), bottled unfined

Producer Tasting Note:

This vineyard is situated at the foot of the Hermitage Hill. It is a glacial alluvial deposit terrace with shingles and clay. Vines are over 50 years old. Les Greffieux wine has powerful but silky tannins, an aroma of rich blackberry fruit, ink and black pepper with a powerfully tannic palate with liquorice notes.

Critic's Tasting Note:

"Because the 2015 Ermitage les Greffieux is so approachable and not as forbidding as Chapoutier's other 2015s, I wonder if I've underestimated it? It's full-bodied and rich in raspberry fruit, there's an intriguing herbal note and it's already almost silky in texture rather than being dense and closed. It should provide a couple of decades of drinking pleasure."

98/100 points, Jeb Dunnuck, robertparker.com

Food Match: Charcuterie (Prosciutto, smoked sausages, and especially bacon). Also red meats, game, and savoury, herb-accented foods. Pungent blue cheeses like Gorgonzola or Stilton create a great contrast with the wine's rich fruit and spices