M. Chapoutier - Hermitage Chante-Alouette 2021
17,5/20
Jancis Robinson
94/100
James Suckling
93/100
Wine Spectator
92+/100
Jeb Dunnuck
92/100
Robert Parker
92/100
Decanter
"The quintessence of Hermitage Blanc"
“A rich, smoky nose with notes of baked cream and warm honey, giving the wine a brilliant luster and a shimmering vein of golden, iron-like minerality. Curry-spiced peaches; sweetness and earthy spices. Spectacular power and presence without heaviness. A finish of honeysuckle. It’s just beginning to come into its own, and it’s magnificent. ” (Jancis Robinson 2025)
Buy your Chapoutier wines at the best price through a private sale!
Starting at €99 on your first order
Eye
Bright, greenish-gold color
Nose
Complex and subtle, with aromas of quince, walnuts, honey, ginger, and acacia, along with a hint of linden
Palate
A clean attack, without harshness, with an almond finish; very elegant and very long
Serve
At 12-14°C
Open
1/2 hour before serving
Drink before
2031+
Food and Wine Pairings
Enjoy it with foie gras, spiny lobster, lobster, fish, poultry in sauce, white meat, spicy dishes (excellent with curry), and poultry cooked with mushrooms or truffles after some aging...
Bettane & Desseauve
Rated estate (2024 guide): 5*Stars (Exceptional producers who represent the absolute pinnacle of quality in France and around the world)
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.
Decanter
Wine rated (2023 guide) 92/100
About the wine:
Less rich and ripe on the nose than a typical vintage, this wine offers hints of star fruit and yellow plum, with a subtle note of flint in the background. The acidity is surprisingly low for a 2021 white Hermitage, but it isn’t unbalanced, thanks to subtle, noble, and bitter notes that compensate. The oak influence remains in the background and is unobtrusive. With a full-bodied yet taut finish, this is a silky and compact expression of this cuvée. Not particularly grand or powerful, but already approachable.
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 (2024 guide) 92/100 (Outstanding wine)
Estate rated "Recommended" (Wine producer recommended by Robert Parker - The Wine Advocate)
About the wine:
From a vintage that proved to be very fruitful for the region’s white wines, Chapoutier’s 2021 Hermitage Chante-Alouette offers aromas of beeswax, almond, melon, and mandarin. It is medium-bodied, round, concentrated, well-balanced, and harmonious, with a long finish featuring citrus notes.
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 93/100 (Exceptional wine)
Jancis Robinson
Wine rated (2025 guide) 17,5/20
Rated "Recommended"
About the wine:
A rich, smoky nose with notes of baked cream and warm honey, giving the wine a brilliant luster and a shimmering vein of golden, iron-like minerality. Curry-spiced peaches; sweetness and earthy spices. Spectacular power and presence without heaviness. A finish of honeysuckle. It’s just beginning to come into its own, and it’s magnificent.
James Suckling
Wine rated (2024 guide) 94/100
About the wine:
At first glance, it seems a bit closed, but after a few moments in the glass, the aromas of ripe peach and mirabelle plum—derived from the beautifully ripe Marsanne—come to the fore. Excellent concentration and wonderful vitality despite moderate acidity. Next comes a salty minerality, which combines with a hint of bitter almonds in the long, structured finish. Made from biodynamically grown grapes. Will reach its peak starting in 2025.
Jeb Dunnuck
Wine rated (2022 guide) 92+/100
Rated "Recommended"
About the wine:
Bottled just three weeks before this tasting, the 2021 Hermitage Chante-Alouette Blanc is made exclusively from Marsanne, with 65% aged in demi-muids and the remainder in stainless steel tanks. It doesn’t quite match the 2020 vintage, but don’t let that discourage you—it displays the typical character of Hermitage, with medium body, good balance, well-integrated acidity, and a lovely finish. It’s still a bit tight and slightly reserved (likely due to its recent bottling), but offers impressive aromas of stone fruit, quince, and honeyed minerality, along with the vintage’s purity and freshness, as well as a lovely finish. It should benefit from 2 to 4 years of aging and will drink beautifully over the next 10 to 15 years.
Discover more wines from the estate
