JL Chave Hermitage Blanc 2011

A dynasty passed down from father to son for 16 generations, Domaine Chave could make a fair claim to be France’s winemaking royal family. 

Cultivating grapes around what is now Saint-Joseph since 1481, the Chaves moved to Hermitage in the mid-19th century. Unlike other producers who bottle multiple ‘lieu dit’ expressions of these mighty hillside slopes, the Chave family have always expertly blended fruit from across the 14ha of vineyards they farm to produce just two wines: Hermitage Rouge and Hermitage Blanc.

Taking over from his father Gérard in the 1990s, Jean-Louis Chave has stayed faithful to the ancestral practices that made the domaine’s name: meticulous organic farming, low yields, harvesting at full ripeness, minimal intervention, and no filtering.

Largely comprised of century-old Marsanne vines in ‘Péléat’, Chave’s Hermitage Blanc is revered as the very essence of its terroirs. Capable of ageing well over half a century, mature Chave Blanc is up there with one of the world’s finest sensorial experiences.

The 2011 shows the richer, more voluptuous side of Hermitage Blanc: orange blossom, cream, and honeysuckle around a core of brioche. 96 points, Jeb Dunnuck