The 2017 Ermitage le Meal Blanc starts with refined notes of crushed stone and pencil shavings that move into a whirlwind of lush fruit, ranging from pineapple through melon and pear. It's rich, almost custardy in texture, yet it's backed by mineral notes of crushed stone and delivers awesome freshness on the long finish. It's an exhilarating ride. 508 cases produced.

As with all the whites from Chapoutier today, the 2017 Ermitage Le Méal Blanc has a kiss of reduction in its rich, full-bodied, powerful style, which gives the wine a more focused, backward style than normal. A huge nose of celery seed, caramelized citrus, honeysuckle, and turmeric as well as plenty of minerality all emerge from the glass, and this beauty gains depth and richness with time. Hide bottles for 3-4 years and it should keep nicely for two decades or more. 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.

A beautifully rich and complex nose with lemons and limes, white and yellow peaches and a surge of spicy oak, roasted almonds and a flicker of reductive flint. The palate has seamless build and rich, deep-set, ripe-fruit flesh. Smooth, buttery and freshly cut at the finish. Drink or hold.