1995 M. Chapoutier Ermitage Le Pavillon Hermitage Rhône France Wine Tasting Note

Incredibly young, but it's impossible to miss the quality here. Intensely concentrated, powerful, tannic, fresh and lively, with a wall of fruit and a nose that combines ripe fruits, earth, smoke, thyme and mint, 3 hours of decanting was not enough. Time and air are needed for this wine to deliver the goods.

4,147 Views   Tasted May 29, 2016

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Double decanted about 4 hours before serving helped soften the wine. Still youthful in appearance, and not fully developed in the nose, with some tannins left to soften, the concentrated, lush, dense wine is loaded with sweet, ripe fruits, earth, smoke, licorice and black cherries. The wine is starting to open, but it promises to be better in 5-10 years. This bottle, from the same case as the previous bottles tasted was a markedly better tasting experience.

I own several bottles of this wine. I wanted to like it more. No. I needed to like it more. But I couldn't. Double decanted for 2-3 hours, it was still holding on tight. With effort, mineral driven, blackberry, cherry, smoke and herbal scents popped up. But the palate was still firm. There is ample concentration and by the end of the night, it started to soften, but that was not enough to make magic. I'm hoping that time will bring this around. My hope is fading at 20 years of age. But let's take a look in another 5 years.

Firm, tannic, bright, structured and even stern, to some extent, the wine is very young. It's also very concentrated and tannic. There is an intensity to fruit that makes you pay attention. The complex nose serves up a melange ot thyme, cherries, earth, garrigue, kirsch and pepper, with a touch of mint. Give this 4-6 hours in the decanter, or wait a decade for it to soften and really come together.

Sweet dark kirsch, crushed stone, fresh Provencal market herbs, plums, smoke, earth and thyme aromas pair well the rich, luxurious textures and fresh, ripe, round black and red fruit filled finish. Enjoyed over 2 hours, I was pleasantly surprised how well this was starting to show. Like all the better vintages of Chapoutier Hermtiage, this has a long future.

Deep in color with gobs of fresh black pepper, earth, blackberry, cassis, oak and spice scents made up the perfume. Powerful, packed and stacked with layers of concentrated dark fruit, this round textured wine remains a baby at 16 years of age. Another 5-10 years will add a lot of complexity and texture to this outstanding Hermitage wine.

1995 Chapoutier Pavillon opens with tobacco, pepper, blue and black fruit, spices and a hint of oak in the perfume. This concentrated, round, opulent, powerful Hermitage keeps your attention with it's rich textures and purity of flavor. This is still very young. Give it another 10 years and watch it evolve from there. This is a sexy, suave style of Hermitage. It's not trying to be anything else. If you're looking for Chave, which I adore, buy Chave. If you want an opulent expression of Hermitage, this is the ticket. 97 Pts

This wine is filled with blackberry, fresh cracked pepper, cassis, spice, smoke, earth and iron aromas. Powerful, concentrated and brawny in style, this large Hermitage requires an other 5-10 years before coming around.

A beautiful, sexy wine. This lush, fat, concentrated wine is a pleasure to taste. When this wine matures, watch out as it will be at or close to the levels of the 89, 90 & 91! Absolutely compelling wine!