The full-bodied 2016 Ermitage l'Ermite is the biggest, most tannic of Chapoutier's current releases. Don't be fooled by the upfront aromas of confiture de cassis, this rich, chewy wine needs 6-7 years of cellaring to near approachability. But what a maturity that should prove to be, with hints of cedar framing ripe, mouthwatering fruit and savory overtones of black olive and licorice, all backed by the sensation of powdered granite on an almost endless finish.

Aged in 30% new oak for 20 months. A highly aromatic nose, showing blackberry, blackcurrant and mineral hot slate aromas. It's very full-bodied and very straight. The intense, dry, salty, mineral tannins are very much of the terroir. The wine has thrilling cool fruit and is exceptionally well balanced, it's so enlivening. Like scaling a jet-black granite cliff face, there is relief and texture to its cool, glistening surface - but it's as hard as nails. This will be exceptionally good when it's ready.

Vivid, glass-staining purple. Potent, sharply delineated dark fruit preserve, Moroccan spice, licorice and exotic floral qualities on the hugely perfumed nose. Utterly stains the palate with sweet blueberry, cherry liqueur, spicecake and violet pastille flavors that show an uncanny blend of richness and energy. The floral and spice notes build steadily through an endless, gently tannic finish that shows superb clarity and mineral drive. This wine's sheer sex appeal will make it delicious relatively soon after release, but its depth and balance should easily carry it through its 30th birthday (if one has the patience) and probably longer.

For some reason, I have more fruit descriptors in my notes for the 2016 Ermitage l'Ermite than the Le Pavillon, yet the former left me less impressed. Of course, that's all relative when talking about wines that are easily in the top 1% of all wines in the world. Scents of crushed stone are joined by blueberries, plums and cassis in this impressive, full-bodied wine. It's rich and concentrated, tannic as hell but endowed with enough fruit to see it through to 2025, when it should begin to approach drinkability. Joe Czerwinski, The Wine Advocate #234, December 2017

100% fermented in oak of which 25% is new. From blocks that Chapoutier owns around the château. Wonderfully rich and thick and fresh and intense. Smoky, glossy, powerful fruit with excellent clarity. (RH)

Readers wanting to understand pure granite soils need to taste the inky blue/black-colored 2016 Ermitage L’Ermite, as just sticking your nose in the glass is enough to instantly transport you to this magical hillside. Crème de cassis, smoked earth, gunpowder, liquid rocks, and graphite all emerge from this deep, hugely concentrated, massive wine that has awesome depth and richness, building tannins, and vibrant acidity as well as a monster finish. It needs a decade of cellaring and will keep for half a century. This is what you call liquid gold. The estate of firebrand Michel Chapoutier continues to operate on all cylinders, and these latest 2016 and 2017 releases are world class for this address. The 2017 whites show the gradual change toward a more reductive style of winemaking, and the wines at times have an almost Burgundian feel in their minerality, acidity, and texture. Nevertheless, they’re fabulously concentrated and rich and will need 2-4 years of cellaring. The 2016 whites showed beautifully, and I prefer those to the 2017s. The majority of the 2017 reds were tasted as barrel samples. This is a ripe, sexy, expressive vintage for the Northern Rhône, and this shows in the wines. The 2017s don’t appear to have the density of the more blockbuster styled 2015s, yet they have expressive, sunny characters that will deliver loads of charm. The 2016s having slightly more density and cooler-climate styled aromatics, yet are nevertheless some of the richest, sexiest wines in the vintage. In addition to the frightfully expensive top-tier cuvées, don’t miss the value releases from this estate. These wines max out the QPR scale and are great introductions into the wines of Chapoutier as well as the Rhône Valley.