M. Chapoutier : De l'Orée 2021

Hints of honeyed peaches join ripe apricot and melon on the nose of Chapoutier's superb 2021 Ermitage de l'Orée. As always, it's 100% Marsanne from the clay soils of the Les Murets lieu-dit. Medium to full-bodied, it's ripe and succulent, with a long, briny and refreshing finish. It may be closing down by now, so try to hold off opening a bottle until around 2030—or allow several hours for decanting.

Broad, complex and wonderfully rich, with a core of lemon oil and orchard fruit merging with a smoky mineral layer and earthy detail. Salted butter graces the savory palate, while bitter grapefruit pith adds firm tautness and focus to the lengthy, energetic finish. Drink now through 2038. 10 cases imported.

Mango and rhubarb notes hint at a rich, full-bodied wine, in a fairly classic De l'Orée style, though not quite as rich and opulent as in recent years. With lovely acidity, it has more freshness than the past few vintages, though not quite the same opulence. From 60-year-old vines from lieu-dit Les Murets at the top of the hill.

A refined, textural and vibrant Ermitage white with so much restrained power. There is a saltiness here. Dried lemons, quince peel, grilled almonds, white peaches, wet stones, wild herbs and white flowers mingle successively on the nose. It’s medium-bodied yet it has a gigantic dimension. It’s all contained, restrained and funneled into the precise, highly textural and tense palate. Succulent, with baked lemon character and a long, long finish. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification. Drinkable now, but best from 2025.

Prominent struck match, lemon peel, acacia, ripe pear, yellow apple and vanilla traces introduce the sapid 2021 Ermitage Blanc De L'Orée. Full-bodied and rich, yet neatly maintaining elegance and freshness, the 2021 delivers a terrific expression of old-vine expression from the historic Hermitage appellation. It should drink well over the next decade.