Domaine Jean-Louis Chave - Hermitage Blanc 2022 (1.5L)
Price: $775.00
| Producer | Domaine Jean-Louis Chave |
| Country | France |
| Region | Rhone |
| Subregion | Crozes Hermitage |
| Varietal | Rhone White Blend |
| Vintage | 2022 |
| Sku | 10810 |
| Size | 1.5L |
Jeb Dunnuck: 96-98+ Points
I continue to think that this estate makes one of the greatest white wines in the world. Looking at the 2022 Hermitage Blanc it was harvested starting on the 23rd of August and is still resting in a mix of barrel and tank. I was able to taste through multiple lieux-dits all of which were impressive with the Péléat bringing the power and opulence and Les Rocoules and L'Ermite bringing more structure and precision. This will be a full-bodied deep concentrated wine that will have decades of life. In a time when many refuse to take any risks and are abandoning any hope of true greatness in wine it's such a relief to have a producer like this continue to make concentrated powerful utterly classic and singular wines. Bravo. This iconic estate continues to hold the line on what constitutes a truly great Hermitage both red and white and there are few vinous treats better than a tasting with Jean-Louis Chave in his cellar in Mauve. Looking at the wines reviewed here the 2022s were tasted from barrel and this is a ripe sunny yet also tannic vintage that?s going to benefit from its élevage as well as require bottle age. They remind me slightly of Chave?s 1998 although as I say in the review I think there?s a touch more sun-kissed fruit in the 2022s. The 2021s are beautiful elegant seamless wines and you?ll be hard pressed to do better in the vintage. These aren?t massive wines but they have pretty complex and classic profiles that will drink well with just a few years of bottle age. On another level the 2020s are powerful massive wines that remind me slightly of the 2010s (or is it 2009s?). They have tons of baby fat and are already fun to taste but these are built for the long haul.
Vinous: 97 Points
Bottled in September 2024 just two months before my visit the 2022 L'Hermitage Blanc is brilliant. Prominent honeysuckle lemon zest ripe peach cedar quince and a hint of jasmine burst from the glass. The full-bodied 2022 seamlessly combines elevated flavor concentration with vibrant freshness on the palate delivering a precise impressive L'Hermitage Blanc. The refined finish is remarkably long and focused enhanced by a nuanced phenolic grip. - By Nicolas Greinacher on November 2024 Jean-Louis Chave reported a healthy 2023 crop yielding 35 to 40 hectoliters per hectare (hl/ha) for reds and 38 hl/ha for whites?significantly above his long-term average of 25 to 28 hl/ha. Reflecting on the late-August heatwave that shaped the vintage Chave remarked: ?What?s interesting about the vine's evolution is its ability these days to say ?stop?. In vintages like 2003 the heat shocked the vines. I truly believe they?ve adapted to arid conditions.? However Chave noted a downside to this adaptation: ?If there are too many grapes and the vine pauses due to the excess crop load the timing of that pause becomes critical. Early slowing halts progress in sugar and phenolic ripeness which is problematic. But if it happens later it can be beneficial as the vine might stop at 12.5 or 13% alcohol while phenolic ripening might continue.? Examining the diverse soil types on the Hill of Hermitage Chave observed that ripening blockages were more common on granitic soils which drain quickly compared to clay-rich soils that retain more water. Data from the 2023 vintage reflects this: juice from Les Bessards lieu-dit on granitic soils reached 13% alcohol while those from Méal with its clay-rich soils achieved 15%. How does Chave balance such disparities? ?As always through blending. Clay needs granite and granite needs clay. Hermitage?s strength lies in the balance of these soils? he explained. The differences in these base wines are evident in the glass. Les Bessards offers delicacy and finesse while Méal provides riper fruit with less vibrancy. We also discussed the impact of heatwaves like the one in late August 2023 on acidity. ?In a vintage like 2023 with lower tartaric acidity lactic or even acetic acids can compensate in tasting. Acetic acidity is harsher and less appealing while lactic acidity is softer. Tartaric acid on the other hand rarely harmonizes with wine. In 2023 the ten-day August heatwave burned off much of the tartaric acidity. In contrast 2022 retained more tartaric acidity? Chave concluded. Judging from early tastings both the red and white Hermitages from 2023 show remarkable vivacity. The same applies to the 2023 Saint-Joseph Clos Florentin. As for the 2022s the red Hermitage remains unbottled and will be covered in my next report. The 2022 L?Hermitage Blanc in bottle since September 2024 stands out as an exceptional white ranking alongside the extraordinary 2019 which I tasted alongside it.
Decanter: 96 Points
The plots of Péléat and Rocoules were a little richer than a typical year with relatively low acidity while Ermite had a honeysuckle florality and a little more flesh than usual. Rich dense and mighty it is the opposite in style to the fine fresh 2021. Picking started on 23 August in 2022. A tasting of the different plots was instructive but the wines had been moved from barrel to tank the day before so the score is a guide only.
Wine Advocate: 95 Points
2022 was the earliest harvest in the estate's history. Jean-Louis Chave harvested the Roucoule and Péléat plots on August 23-24 while Maison Blanche and Ermite were picked on August 28. The 2022 Hermitage Blanc reveals a complex ripe bouquet of almonds white flowers honey and spices mingled with baked orchard fruits. Full-bodied and concentrated the palate is rich and dense with a suave texture a multidimensional core of fruit framed by chalky dry extracts and a delicate phenolic gastronomic bitterness. Slightly austere at this stage this gastronomic wine is built for the cellar. I began tasting with Jean-Louis Chave at 4 p.m. and wrapped up six hours later. It was one of the most captivating and enlightening tastings during my trip to Hermitage. Jean-Louis the latest in a long line of growers from a family that has made wine in Hermitage since 1481 is undoubtedly among the greatest vignerons in the world. Despite his towering reputation he is a modest man adhering to winemaking practices similar to those of his father which sparked one of our most intense discussions. A tireless thinker and a genius in viticulture Jean-Louis has been instrumental in revitalizing the Saint-Joseph hillsides. His acquisition of Clos Florentin in 2009 (one of Saint-Joseph?s emblematic properties previously owned by Docteur Florentin) has significantly propelled the quality of his Saint-Joseph wines. Jean-Louis is proud of his 2022 vintages particularly appreciating how well the vines adapted to a dry and exceptionally difficult year. Though dense the wines from this vintage exhibit the freshness and spontaneity that define their character. While I greatly respect Jean-Louis Chave I must mention that the presence of volatile phenols derived from Brettanomyces in his wines is a masking filter between the terroir and the wine itself. He maintains that this level of phenols is traditional consistent with the manner in which his predecessors crafted their wines. Published: Mar 13 2025
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