White Hermitage (or Ermitage as Chapoutier prefers) remains one of the great undervalued wines of the world, and this shows you exactly why everyone should be getting on board. Even now, at approaching 10 years old, it tastes incredibly young, with a good decade ahead of it. Silky texture, rich round stone fruits, citrus, rosemary, full of complexity and pleasure, with a point of anis bitterness on the finish. This is as decadent as white wine gets, and it's fabulous. Biodynamic.

The 2010 Ermitage Le Meal Blanc, which comes from a warmer site, displays more tropical fruit, with loads of red currants intermixed with mango, orange marmalade, and exotic Asian scents. Dense, full-bodied, intense and rich, this is the most voluptuous and opulent of the blockbuster selections parcellaires whites of 2010. It should drink well for 30-35 years. (Not yet released) As I have written many times, all of these wines are produced from rigidly cultivated, bio-dynamically managed vineyards. That has been the rule since Michel Chapoutier first took over this firm in the late 1980s. Now, with over 20 years of biodynamic viticulture under his belt, Chapoutier remains committed to this rather radical style of organic farming. He believes the effect is to reduce rot in damp, rainy vintages. Moreover, he has observed that after 10 to 15 years of biodynamic farming, the natural acids tend to be more vivid and the overall pH of the soils (as well as the wines) has dropped. Controversial, outspoken and brutally candid, Chapoutier, who suffers no fools, continues to admirably produce wines that are among the finest in the world and potentially the longest lived. Refusing to acidify, chaptalize, or touch the wines in any way, he clearly wants every wine to capture the very essence of its terroir and vintage personality. In this, he succeeds remarkably. No one has made more effort in resurrecting the once-forgotten backwater appellation of St.-Peray than Michel Chapoutier. Working in conjunction with the famed Michelin three-star restaurant family, the Pics, Chapoutier has produced a sensational 2010 Gamme Pic and Chapoutier St.-Peray, and the first single-vineyard St.-Peray, the 2010 Lieu-Dit Peyrolles St.-Peray, which is one of the greatest St.-Perays I have ever tasted. This appellation is all steep hillside vineyards planted in pure, decomposed granite soils, not dissimilar from Hermitage, but they are located on the other side of the Rhone, facing the city of Valence. The single-vineyard wines, or selections parcellaires, 2010 whites are absolutely amazing, with production levels ranging from 300 to 700 or 800 cases of each cuvee. These wines are for true connoisseurs, as they are expensive and meant for long, long evolutions, but they capture the essence of a vintage and terroir as well as any wines in the world. As for the selections parcellaires of 2010 reds, Chapoutier likes this vintage almost as much as 2009, but feels it is very different, emphasizing more acidity and minerality, whereas 2009 is a combination of pure power, concentration and great potential longevity. Michel Chapoutier considers the 2009s, which are all in bottle, to be among the greatest wines he has ever produced, equaling his finest wines of 2006, 2003, 1999, 1990 and 1989 (his debut year). Importer: Terlato Wines International, Lake Bluff, IL; tel. (847) 604-8900

The 2010 Ermitage Le Meal Blanc, which comes from a warmer site, displays more tropical fruit, with loads of red currants intermixed with mango, orange marmalade, and exotic Asian scents. Dense, full-bodied, intense and rich, this is the most voluptuous and opulent of the blockbuster selections parcellaires whites of 2010. It should drink well for 30-35 years. Drink: 2011 - 2046
-Robert Parker, Wine Advocate #198 Dec 2011

Showing brilliantly, and every bit as perfect a wine as it was on release, the 2010 Ermitage Le Méal Blanc offers a vivid gold hue as well as a stunning bouquet of pure white peach, crème caramel, woodsmoke, celery seed, and crushed rock. Full-bodied, concentrated, and powerful, this is an incredible wine in every sense, with riveting focus and precision, a dense, concentrated mid-palate, and a great, great finish. It's still youthful and benefits from air, and I suspect it will evolve for another 30-40 years in cold cellars.