So sultry and spicy, this wine gives more and more as it sits in the glass. Smoky aromas like dying cinders mix with seared meat and sun-dried herbs in a deep, savoury expression. There's good depth of fruit, but it's dark and mixed with flecks of graphite and pencil shavings. The tannins are ever-present, but they're fine, sooty and delicate.

Both the Pavillon and l’Ermite see a touch more new oak, with the wine aged 18 months in 30% new French oak barrels. The 2014 Ermitage le Pavillon will without a doubt be one of the top two to three wines in the vintage; it offers an incredibly granite character in its burning embers, graphite, crème de cassis and campfire-like bouquet. Big, concentrated, full-bodied, thick and yet still with the always present hedonistic slant of this cuvee, it will need 4-5 years of cellaring and have three or more decades of longevity.

Dark purple. Powerful smoke- and mineral-accented aromas of black and blue fruit liqueur and vanilla, along with a suggestion of olive in the background. Supple, broad and sweet on the palate, offering deeply concentrated blackberry and violet pastille flavors and a jolt of smoky minerality that adds energy to the back half. Shows very impressive energy and focus for its depth. Finishes sappy and extremely long, displaying excellent focus, harmonious tannins and persistent spiciness.

The 2014 Ermitage Le Pavillon isn’t quite ready for action just yet. Time in the glass unlocks pronounced graphite, cured meat, cigar box and blackcurrant aromatics. Taut and precise, the full-bodied 2014 is enveloped by fine-grained tannins and shines with class and nobility. Refined and concentrated, it winds down with focus and persistence on the spiced finish. Allow it two more years in a cool cellar before pulling the cork.

Full bottle 1,394 g. From a distinctive four-hectare parcel made up of fine sediments on granitic subsoil. Hand-picked 'to the limit of over-maturity' from low-yielding old vines. All destemmed and fermented in concrete. One or two treadings a day and fermentation temperature held at 32 °C. Four- to five-week maceration. Only free-run juice. Aged between 18 and 20 months in oak casks (30% new). Natural clarification. Certified biodynamic. Deep blackish, shaded ruby. Much richer nose than Les Greffieux. Really spicy and great breadth of fruit almost distracts from the massive tannic charge of a wine that, nevertheless, has considerable polish. Great tannin extraction! Meaty, bone-dry, long finish. This should have a very long life. (JR)