Chapoutier, Ermitage, Le Pavillon 1998, Magnum

The 1998 Ermitage Le Pavillon flirts with perfection …again. Revealing a striking bouquet of violets, blackberries, smoke, licorice, and minerals, it is luxuriously rich, full-bodied, and layered on the palate. It is a wine with a finish that lasts beyond a minute. Remarkably, yields were a mere 10 hectoliters per hectare. There is plenty of tannin in the finish, but it is ripe and well-integrated.

| Robert Parker