M. Chapoutier - Ermitage De L'Orée blanc 2013

Bettane & Desseauve

About the wine:

A rich, pear-like bouquet with hints of fermentation, full-bodied and harmonious, with a very elegant texture; the finish is still slightly restrained, but it has great potential.

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 historic 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: single-vineyard, single-varietal, and produced annually, they are above all a reflection of the terroir, in its best aspects as well as, at times, its excesses.

Guide Hachette des vins

About the estate:

This venerable (19th-century) and leading winery, propelled onto the international stage by Michel Chapoutier in the 1990s, offers a wide range of wines produced from its own vineyards (345 hectares, 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

About the wine:

Leading the pack among Hermitage’s three vintage white wines, the remarkable 2013 Ermitage Cuvée de l’Orée boasts a breathtaking bouquet that encompasses just about everything one might associate with a white Hermitage. White peach, white flowers, marzipan, quince, and damp rock are just a few of the nuances present. On the palate, the wine is very powerful, with full-bodied richness, a flamboyant and expansive texture, as well as fascinating concentration and purity. Best enjoyed over the next two or three decades.

RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France

About the estate:

Under the Maison M. Chapoutier label, we feature wines from the wine merchant division of this two-century-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 compelling, others, on the other hand, are far more run-of-the-mill. This inconsistency leads us to remove the star from the house this year.

Wine Spectator

Jancis Robinson

About the wine:

A deep coppery gold. An intoxicating nose of flowers and lilies. Stone fruit on the palate. Balanced and full-bodied, already well-developed. Very charming—it manages to combine body and freshness. A true triumph. Although slightly lighter than many vintages.

Vinous

About the wine:

Light golden yellow. An impressively complex bouquet evokes ripe citrus and orchard fruits, iodine, and white flowers, with a hint of smoky minerality emerging upon exposure to air. The palate is savory, penetrating, and concentrated, offering intense flavors of Meyer lemon, quince, ginger, and sweet butter that deepen and expand in the second half of the mouth. Powerful and deeply concentrated, yet graceful, it finishes with superb energy and lingering floral and mineral notes. The vines from which this wine is made are located in the Les Murets vineyard.

Jeb Dunnuck