M. Chapoutier - Ermitage Le Méal blanc 2015
100/100
Robert Parker
97/100
Wine Spectator
96/100
Vinous
17,5/20
Bettane & Desseauve
"Another perfect wine is the 2015 Ermitage le Meal Blanc. The most decadent, creamy, and structured wine in the lineup, with irresistible notes of white currants, toasted nuts, celery seeds, and licorice, it strikes the palate with full-bodied richness, a massive mid-palate, and a refreshing, pure, and sensational finish that never seems to end. "If I had to choose a white wine for a desert island, this might be the one." (Wine Advocate 2016)
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Eye
Bright golden yellow color
Nose
Intense, exotic, and very mineral, with notes of white currants, toasted walnuts, celery seeds, and licorice; subtle, well-integrated oak
Palate
Full-bodied, rich, and very refined on the palate, with a rich and complex mid-palate and an impressive finish marked by a lovely exotic freshness and notes of toasted almonds
Serve
At 12-14°C
Open
1 hour before service
Drink before
2075+
Food and Wine Pairings
Enjoy it with foie gras, lobster in beurre blanc sauce, langoustine consommé with chorizo and ginger, lamprey à la bordelaise, veal maringo, Saint-Félicien with truffles...
Bettane & Desseauve
Wine rated 17.5/20 (Benchmark wine)
Rated estate (2024 guide): 5*Stars (Exceptional producers who represent the absolute pinnacle of quality in France and around the world)
About the wine:
Richer and more powerful than the opening notes, the fruit is overripe; in this sun-drenched vintage, the terroir itself—though also sun-drenched—may not be at its best, but with some aeration, its volume and fullness come through more clearly.
About the estate:
Michel Chapoutier is now ably supported by his children, Mathilde and Maxime, in running the largest wine house in the Northern Rhône, a long-standing specialist in Hermitage and Crozes-Hermitage. Chapoutier is, on the one hand, a major wine merchant, but also produces top-tier estate wines, with the estate’s vineyards having long been cultivated using biodynamic methods. The single-vineyard selections—the top of the range—perfectly reflect the owner’s philosophy: produced from specific plots, made from a single grape variety, and released annually, they are above all a reflection of the terroir, showcasing both its best qualities and, at times, its extremes.
Guide Hachette des vins
Rated Estate (2023 Guide) Award-Winning Wines (This producer’s wines regularly receive awards from the guide)
About the estate:
This venerable (19th-century) and leading winery, propelled onto the international stage by Michel Chapoutier beginning in the 1990s, offers a wide range of wines produced from its own vineyards (345 ha, cultivated biodynamically) or from purchased grapes, across most of the Rhône Valley’s flagship appellations, as well as in Roussillon and Alsace. His children, Mathilde and Maxime, have recently joined the family business.
Robert Parker - Wine Advocate
Wine rated (2016 guide) 100/100 (Exceptional!)
Estate rated "Recommended" (Wine producer recommended by Robert Parker - The Wine Advocate)
About the wine:
Another perfect wine is the 2015 Ermitage le Meal Blanc. The most decadent, creamy, and structured wine in the lineup, with irresistible notes of white currants, toasted walnuts, celery seeds, and licorice, it captivates the palate with full-bodied richness, a massive mid-palate, and a refreshing, pure, and sensational finish that seems to go on forever. If I had to choose a white wine to take to a desert island, this might just be the one.
RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France
Rated Estate (2023 Guide) Selected (Please note that this guide is a ranking, and as such, all the estates listed here—even those without a star—represent, in our view, the pinnacle of French winemaking.)
About the estate:
Under the name Maison M. Chapoutier, we feature wines from the wine trading division of this 200-year-old institution based in Tain-l'Hermitage. Michel Chapoutier, now joined by his daughter Mathilde, offers a very wide range of Rhône appellations here, with a production volume approaching one million bottles. But the Chapoutier name is also present in other regions (Champagne, Alsace, Languedoc, and even Australia), a testament to this family’s dynamism. While some vintages are impressive, others, on the other hand, are far more run-of-the-mill. This inconsistency has led us to remove the star from the estate this year.
Wine Spectator
Wine rated 97/100 (Exceptional wine)
Jancis Robinson
Rated "Recommended"
Vinous
Wine rated (2018 guide) 96/100
About the wine:
Intense golden yellow. Penetrating aromas of citrus and ripe stone fruits with mineral accents are complemented by notes of chalky minerals, saffron, and chamomile. Juicy, smoky, and deeply concentrated yet supple on the palate, it offers dense flavors of peach nectar, pear liqueur, Meyer lemon, and buttered toast that display superb vibrancy and concentration. The mineral note recurs insistently on the crisp, smoky finish, which lingers with exceptional length.
Jeb Dunnuck
Rated "Recommended"