Lessons Learned on Hermitage... With J-L Chave Junior
Bordeaux Index
9 June 2025
Bear with us, as this is one of those stories that reminds us why we love wine so much
“There can be no doubt that the son, Jean Louis, and his papa, Gerard Chave, members of a family that has been making Hermitage for six centuries, are among the planet’s greatest winemakers.” – Robert Parker
It starts when Jean-Louis Chave, the bright young son of the current winemaker, (also called Jean-Louis), joins us for the annual Bordeaux Index Paulée Burgundy dinner. Conversation drifted from Burgundy to Hermitage, and it emerged that Jean-Louis Chave had never tasted his family’s legendary 1978 Hermitage in magnum. Like many of the great Rhône and Burgundy domaines, Chave no longer holds much in the way of back vintages. Our CEO Gary Boom sought to rectify this (“If anyone needs to taste this, it’s you, J-L!”) and a few weeks later, we met Jean Louis again for dinner, this time with a magnum of 1978 Chave Hermitage that Gary had bought all those years ago and carefully cellared ever since.
Chave is always built for the long haul and this magnum of 1978, made by Jean-Louis’ grandfather Gérard nearly 50 years previously, was a powerful reminder of just how thrilling mature Hermitage can be. These were the days before the domaine destemmed, and it showed Syrah in its wildest form: sweet, juicy berries laced with blood, iron, smoke, dried rose petal and a feral, mineral energy. It was perfumed, alive, and full of finesse with plenty of life still ahead. To add to the experience, we opened a bottle of 1990 Hermitage La Chapelle, another fabled name from the hill. The contrast between these two sensational wines sparked conversations about how vineyard origins shape these Hermitage blends.
Both are blends from several plots, but Chave’s Hermitage centres on the granite-rich soils of the Bessards vineyard, while Jaboulet’s La Chapelle draws heavily from the warmer, light-coloured soils of the Le Méal (glacial pebbles and limestone). Bessards and Le Méal are the two sites that define the personality of many top Hermitage wines. Le Méal tends to bring out brighter, softer fruit with a more fragrant, approachable character. Bessards, on the other hand, lends depth and structure: these mineral-driven wines need time, often many years or even decades, to fully reveal themselves. As Jean-Louis’s father, winemaker Jean-Louis Chave, says, “For us, we are so lucky to have the core of Bessards in our blend.”
…all of this is to say that Chave’s Bessards-driven Hermitage wines are so worth buying when you can still find them and tucking them away for the future. These are wines that reward time, and in the years ahead, you’ll be very glad to have them in your cellar. With just 2,500 cases of red Hermitage made each year, and virtually nothing from the ’70s, ’80s or even the ’90s currently available on the UK market, these bottles become complete rarities over time. Of course, buy the old vintages when you find them in good condition, but expect to pay a premium for the privilege. You’re better off buying these wines now from 21st century vintages where prices are far more accessible, and the fact that Jean Louis Chave’s monumental Hermitage can be found for less than many Premier Cru Burgundies is astonishing. This is one of the great wines of the world and it remains undervalued.
Please find below a selection of the vintages we currently have available of the incredible Hermitage Rouge from what is unanimously one of Bordeaux Index’s all-time favourite producers.
2003 Hermitage Rouge Domaine Jean-Louis Chave @ GBP 3,500 per 6x75cl IB (1 x OC6 available, In Stock) & GBP 425 per btl Duty Paid ex Vat (2 btls available in stock, repack)
100 pts Joe Czerwinski, Wine Advocate: “Chave's 2003 Hermitage, like the most successful Burgundies from that anomalous vintage, somehow retains a sense of mineral freshness that balances this wine's remarkable concentration and massive fruit. Tasted at the domaine, it's even floral and perfumed on the nose..."
2004 Hermitage Rouge Domaine Jean-Louis Chave @ GBP 3,500 per 12x75cl Duty Paid Ex Vat (1 x OC12 available)
18+ pts Jancis Robinson MW: “Deep crimson, looks bluer than the Chapoutier. Big and bloody on the nose – very complex. Some liquorice. Heady and rich. Lovely broad palate-covering stuff. Really fills all the corners of the palate. Quite rich and reverberant. Already quite rewarding – quite surprisingly approachable, although there is lots of dusty tannin on the finish. Very complete and subtle. Great balance. (JR)”
2006 Hermitage Rouge Domaine Jean-Louis Chave @ GBP 4,000 per 12x75cl IB (1 x OC12 available, W. 4 wks)
96 pts Jeb Dunnuck, Wine Advocate: “Chave's 2006 Hermitage is a fabulous example of the classic style of the estate, as well as of the more forward, charming nature of the vintage. Offering up a gorgeous bouquet of caramelized black fruits, cassis, tapenade, spring flowers and an undeniable minerality, this beautiful Hermitage is fresh, lively and incredibly elegant on the palate, yet still packs gorgeous amounts of fruit and texture, with plenty of wow factor. While still youthful, it delivers loads of pleasure, and will keep for another two decades or more. Drink 2015-2042”
2009 Hermitage Rouge Domaine Jean-Louis Chave @ GBP 7,000 per 12x75cl IB (1 x OC12 available, In Stock)
100 pts Jeb Dunnuck: “One of the greatest wines ever made by this reference point estate, the 2009 Hermitage is one of those wines that offers everything you could ever want from a glass of wine and then more. Still youthfully ruby/plum-hued, it has shed its considerable baby fat and offers a quintessential Hermitage bouquet of red and black fruits, leather, liquid rock-like minerality, flowers, and meaty, peppery, spicy nuances. Insanely complex and layered aromatically, it hits the palate with a deep, concentrated mouthfeel, building yet ultra-fine tannins, and absolutely flawless balance. This beauty is a lesson in true greatness in wine, and readers should beg, borrow, or steal to taste it. I think it's better than both the 1990 and the 2003 (debatable, but the 2009 is certainly more consistent), and this legendary Hermitage will continue to drink brilliantly for another 20-30 years and have a gradual decline thereafter as well. Drink 2024-2054”
2010 Hermitage Rouge Domaine Jean-Louis Chave @ GBP 3,467 per 6x75cl IB (1 x OC6 available, In Stock) & GBP 614 per bottle IB (1 btl available in stock, repack)
98 pts Neal Martin, Vinous: “The 2010 L’Hermitage is just as intense on the nose, maybe higher-toned with a little more VA than the 2016. Black plum, cassis, allspice and a huge dose of extravagance, this is Hermitage pumping on all cylinders. The palate is armed with silky tannins, enormous depth with no hard edges. Its opulence brilliantly disguises the structure underneath – a fabulous wine that has decades ahead. Drink 2024-2060”
2012 Hermitage Rouge Domaine Jean-Louis Chave @ GBP 1,550 per 6x75cl IB (2 x OC6 available, W. 4 wks)
98 pts Matt Walls, Decanter: “This is still quite closed on the nose, I would certainly hold this until at least 2025 before trying again. There's a new-leather note to the blackberry fruit. It's full-bodied, exceptionally smooth on your tongue. Great concentration but also great freshness. Acidity is perfectly balanced, this is a Hermitage of great liveliness, pep and freshness. Very long finish. The alcohol isn't low, but it's balanced. Long finish. An exceptional wine in the making. Drink 2025-2050”.
2014 Hermitage Rouge Domaine Jean-Louis Chave @ GBP 1,450 per 6x75cl IB (1 x OC6 available, In Stock)
95 pts Josh Raynolds, Vinous: “Glass-staining ruby. Potent aromas of fresh black and blue fruits, licorice, spicecake and candied flowers on the deeply perfumed nose. Fleshy, seamless and expansive on the palate, offering vivacious blackberry, cherry, boysenberry and allspice flavors that deepen and spread out slowly on the back half. Closes on a minerally note, delivering building tannins, superb dark-fruit-driven persistence and lingering spiciness. Drink 2024-2035”
2013 Hermitage Rouge Domaine Jean-Louis Chave @ GBP 650 per magnum IB (1 magnum available in stock, repack)
98 pts Matt Walls, Decanter: “Much more serious in demeanour compared to both the 2012 and 2014 vintages of this cuvée, and still quite introverted at the time of tasting. A firm style on the palate, with rigid tannins still and graphite minerality. It will be excellent, in a fairly dark, strict style, when it's ready. Drink 2028-2055”
2015 Hermitage Rouge Domaine Jean-Louis Chave @ GBP 2,100 per 6x75cl IB (1 x OC6 available, W. 4 wks)
100 pts Jeb Dunnuck: “As good as Hermitage can get, the 2015 Hermitage from Jean-Louis Chave reminds me of a hypothetical mix of the 2010 and 1990 with its incredible purity, finesse, and elegant paired with awesome depth and structure. This heavenly wine exhibits a deep purple color as well as a powerful bouquet of crème de cassis, blackberries, dried violets, graphite, and crushed rocks, with a liquid mineral component that’s just about impossible to find outside of the Bessards lieu-dit in Hermitage. Full-bodied and massively concentrated on the palate, yet with laser-like precision and clarity, it needs a solid decade of cellaring and will keep for 40+ years or more. It’s not as sexy or overt as the Cuvee Cathelin, but is every bit as good. Drink 2028-2068”
2016 Hermitage Rouge Domaine Jean-Louis Chave @ GBP 2,000 per 6x75cl IB (1 x OC6 available, W. 4 wks)
98 pts Jeb Dunnuck: “Moving to the Hermitage releases, this always comes primarily from the Les Bessards lieu-dit yet includes smaller amounts from a number of top vineyards on this magical hillside. The 2016 Hermitage is beautiful and shows the classic style of the vintage beautifully. Notes of crème de cassis, hints of blue fruits, violets, and wet stone all emerge from the glass, and it plays in the full-bodied end of the spectrum, with a pure, polished, seamless texture on the palate. It has plenty of tannins, yet they’re perfectly ripe, it has no hard edges, and a great finish. While aromatically it seems to come from a cooler year, it has the sweet fruit and opulence on the palate of a warmer year. It’s a beautiful wine. Give bottles 5-6 years and enjoy over the following 30 years or more. Drink 2020-2050”
2017 Hermitage Rouge Domaine Jean-Louis Chave @ GBP 1,400 per 6x75cl IB (1 x OC6 available, In Stock)
98 pts Jeb Dunnuck: “Just an incredible Hermitage in every sense, the 2017 Hermitage reminds me of the 2016 yet on steroids (or maybe a more finesse-driven example of the 2015?). Revealing a deep, saturated purple color as well as a stunning nose of red and black currants, kirsch, Asian spices, cured meats, ground pepper, and Acacia flowers, it shows more classic Chave minerality with time in the glass, and if this doesn't put a smile on your face, I don't know what will. These all carry to a full-bodied, powerful, yet seamless wine that has the sunny, extroverted style of the vintage yet still packs incredible mid-palate depth, ripe, polished tannins, no hard edges, and one hell of an incredible finish. It's going to be relatively accessible by this cuvée’s standards and offer considerable pleasure in its youth, yet also have 30-40 years of longevity. Drink 2020-2060”
2018 Hermitage Rouge Domaine Jean-Louis Chave @ GBP 1,850 per 6x75cl IB (1 x OC6 available, In Stock)
100 pts Jeb Dunnuck: “I was blown away by the 2018 Hermitage from barrel, and it unquestionably doesn't disappoint from bottle. Reminding me slightly of the 2009, it possesses off-the-charts richness and depth, but like all great wines, stays pure, balanced, and light on its feel. Extraordinary notes of cassis, blue fruits, graphite, violets, and flowers define the bouquet, and this full-bodied, layered, multi-dimensional beauty has ripe tannins, flawless balance, and a great finish. This is pure Hermitage magic. Given its extravagant richness and texture, it should be relatively accessible in just a handful of years yet evolve for three decades or more. Drink 2025-2050”
2019 Hermitage Rouge Domaine Jean-Louis Chave @ GBP 1,950 per 6x75cl IB (2 x OC6 available, In Stock)
98 pts Josh Raynolds, Vinous: “Inky garnet color. Seductively perfumed, mineral-accented dark berries, potpourri, smoky bacon and olive aromas show superb definition and spicy lift. Offers intense, spice-laced blueberry, bitter cherry, fruitcake, exotic spice and violet pastille flavors that slowly deepen and become sweeter through the back half. Distinctly powerful, in the style of the vintage, but vibrant as well, with a strikingly long finish that features reverberating floral, exotic spice and mineral qualities and steadily mounting tannins. Drink 2031-2044”
2020 Hermitage Rouge Domaine Jean-Louis Chave @ GBP 1,650 per 6x75cl IB (3 x OC6 available, In Stock)
98 pts Matt Walls, Decanter: “‘What you find in the whites, you find in the reds,’ says Jean-Louis Chave, alluding to the natural freshness and balance in the 2020 Hermitage lieux-dits. This shows a good sense of finesse, with discreet, elegant tannins and intensity without great power. It is a concentrated but restrained vintage of elegance and great precision. Drink 2023-2050”
2021 Hermitage Rouge Domaine Jean-Louis Chave @ GBP 1,550 per 6x75cl IB (10 x OC6 available, In Stock)
18 pts Alistair Cooper MW, jancisrobinson.com:
A tasting of the constituent lieux-dits before blending
Sample 1: Péléat – Meaty, smoked game with lapsang souchong smoked notes. Mulberry and leather on the mid palate – really elegant.
Sample 2: Les Baumes – Smoke, fresh fig and damp earth. A dense core with tightly tuned tannins and a sweet, ripe fruit core.
Sample 3: Le Méal – A slightly reductive barrel, with cooling blue fruits, spice and leather. Moderate concentration with a savoury graphite finish.
Sample 4: L’Hermite – Rich, dark, brooding and ripe forest fruits. Wonderful density and depth on the palate. Sweet, perfumed fruit and a spiced, pepper note on the finish.
Sample 5: Bessards – Some reduction – blueberry fruit. Very tight and linear – graphite, iron and a compact, taut core. Long and very fine with detail and clarity throughout. Drink 2027-2042