You might think it sacrilege to broach this so young but it was extremely welcoming even at this young age. Dark ruby, dusty and dry and savoury but with great fruit concentration and rigour. Long and jewelly with so much noble fruit you are quite confident it has a great future. Rich and peppery. Serious stuff with great tannin handling. Lots of tannins here but not aggressively so. Very well made with a reverberant finish. (JR)

I was blown away by the 2009 Ermitage Le Méal on release, so I was thrilled to see it show so well now. Still deep purple/ruby-hued, it has a mammoth-sized bouquet of black raspberry and blackberry-like fruit supported by utterly classic Hermitage spice, leather, game, and floral nuances, and even a hint of scorched earth-like minerality. Deep, concentrated, full-bodied, and multi-dimensional on the palate, this magical Hermitage has certainly hit its prime drinking window, and I suspect it has another 20-30 years of longevity ahead of it. It's a sensational, heavenly wine that I wish every reader could taste.

Even inkier in color than the 2010, the 2009 Ermitage le Meal is as good as Hermitage gets. Locked and loaded with phenomenal notes of jammy black raspberries, creme de cassis, crushed violets, smoked earth and spice, it's thick and unctuous on the palate, with incredible density, a huge mid-palate and a layered, multi-dimensional, seamless, elegant texture that just keeps you coming back and begging for another sip. More hedonistic and voluptuous than the 2010, it should still evolve for just as long, yet have even a broader drink window. Drink 2015 - 2049.

Jeb Dunnuck (eRobertParker.com, Sept 2015)