Chapoutier   Ermitage Cuvee de lOree

2010 Ermitage Cuvee de l'Oree

By Chapoutier

2010 Ermitage Cuvee de l'Oree from Chapoutier, Rhone, Rest of the World

In the intricate world of fine wine investments, the 2010 Ermitage Cuvee de l'Oree from Chapoutier represents a laudable exemplar. Glorious emanations from the Rhone's most prized terroirs, as interpreted by the masterful skill of the Chapoutier estate, converge in this breathtaking parcel that has been ensnaring palates since its release.

 

A tapestry of Balance and Elegance

The 2010 Ermitage Cuvee de l'Oree hails from one of the most well-regarded vintages of the past decade in the Rhone, perfectly marrying a temperate growing season with just the right touch of climatic drama leading up to harvest. The result? A wine that combines power with refinement, intensity with elegance, and abundant fruit with finely tuned acidity.

This sterling creation begins with an enticing cloak of golden hues before revealing layers of ripe white fruits, honeyed apricots and delicately toasted almonds on the nose. On the palate it thrills with opulent notes of white peaches and crisp pear entwined with a whisper of mineral complexity its terroir is so well known for.

 

2010: A vintage sealing Chapoutier's reputation

The year 2010 stands out not just for its favourable growing conditions, but also for how it further sealed Chapoutier's reputation in creating stunning expressions of white Marsanne. This esteemed vintage is evidence of how their vineyard-centric philosophy allowed them to harness the ideal climate conditions --- warm days and cool nights --- to achieve full physiological ripeness in their grapes.

The 2010 Ermitage Cuvee de l'Oree from Chapoutier is a testament to the possibilities when the stroke of masterful winemaking meets the bounty of a generous vintage. It is an investment-worthy display of Rhone's terroir and Marsanne's versatility under the deft hands of the storied Chapoutier estate. Don't hesitate to secure a few bottles, for this wine guarantees an intriguing evolution and a potential for handsome appreciation in the years to come.

Current market price

£2,210.00

12x75cl

Highest score

100

POP score

110.5

Scores and tasting notes

100

There are 716 cases of the 2010 Ermitage de l’Oree. I have been following this cuvee since its debut vintage and this 100% Marsanne possesses more richness than most Burgundy Montrachets. Although aged in 100% new, 500-liter demi-muids, the wine reveals no evidence of oak. Honeysuckle, caramelized citrus, white peach, quince and white currant characteristics are viscous and full-bodied, yet the wine possesses striking precision and laser-like focus. This monumental effort is the most opulent and richest of all Chapoutier’s dry whites in 2010. In November of this year, Michel Chapoutier finally made the cover of The Wine Spectator. The accompanying article said essentially the same things I had written about over twenty years ago. More importantly, I am thrilled that Chapoutier received this attention because it has long been deserved. History will record that Michel Chapoutier is a revolutionary. He is also a highly emotional man whose infectious love of primitive art, historic books, classical music and, of course, terroir and winemaking are seemingly impossible to harness. Michel Chapoutier was among the first in France to embrace the radical biodynamic agricultural teachings, for which he was initially criticized, but is now praised. He was also the first to print all his labels in Braille, something that cynics considered to be a gimmick, but ask the National Association for the Blind what they think. Coming from a famous family, but moving in a direction unlike any of its previous members, Michel Chapoutier is self-taught. What he has accomplished over the last two decades or more is one of the great wine stories of the modern era. With all his outgoing, boisterous, machine-gun-speed prose that can sometimes sound shockingly cocky, and at other times reminiscent of the famous Lebanese poet Khalil Gibran, there is never a dull moment around Chapoutier., who makes comments such as “Filtering wine is like making love with a condom,” and “Acidifying wine is like putting a suit of armor on the vineyard’s terroir, vintage character and the cepage.” Don’t blame him if his brilliant intellect and shocking vocabulary put his visitors on the defensive. Michel Chapoutier has proven through his genius, the faith of his convictions and backbreaking attention to detail in his vineyards and in the winery that a once moribund negociant (yet with significant vineyard holdings) could become a beacon of inspiration and quality for the entire world. In short, every wine consumer in the world should admire his accomplishments. All of Chapoutier’s lower level 2010 whites and basic reds have long been sold out, so to keep the tasting somewhat limited during my visit, we focused on the more recently released 2010 white and red selections parcellaires and nearly all the 2011s. As for the 2010 selection parcellaire whites, they are spectacular. Le Pavillon, once called Rochefine and owned by Jaboulet-Verchere, consists of 10 acres of pure granite in the famed Les Bessards, which is considered by many to be the single greatest terroir of Hermitage. The Ermitage Le Pavillon, which is meant to age for 50+ years, is Michel Chapoutier’s legacy, and he is confident that history will support his belief in this extraordinary wine. Michel Chapoutier is not alone in believing the 2011s may resemble a more modern day version of 1991. That vintage was largely underrated by just about everybody (except yours truly) because all the accolades and hyperbole were largely bestowed on both 1989 and 1990 (deservedly), but in the Northern Rhone 1991 turned out to be a strikingly superb vintage for Cote Rotie, Hermitage, Cornas and Condrieu. In the Southern Rhone, the vintage was largely a disaster. Following is an overview of what to expect with the inexpensive 2011 whites and reds. Most of these wines do not have the weight, power or tannic structure of the 2010s, but they are by no means diluted or wimpish wines. They tend to be charming, fruit-forward and seductive, and thus may be preferred by consumers looking for immediate gratification. Although the first few wines reviewed are Southern Rhones, they need to be covered because they are in bottle, and I did not review them in issue 203. Along with several other producers, Michel Chapoutier has helped increase the world’s attention to the long-forgotten, microscopic appellation of St.-Peray. Chapoutier produces a bevy of St.-Perays under his own name as well as in partnership with two three-star chefs, Sophie Pic, of the Restaurant Pic in Valence (as well as several culinary branches in Paris and Lausanne, Switzerland), and Yannick Alleno, the brilliant chef at the Hotel Le Meurice’s in Paris. The red 2011 selections parcellaires are already fruit-forward and seductive. Readers should love them as they are much more evolved than the more structured, powerful, dense, tannic 2010s. Importer: Terlato Wines International, Lake Bluff, IL; tel. (847) 604-8900

Robert Parker Jr - The Wine Advocate, 26 December 2012

Vintage performance