Belle's 2014 Hermitage is a meaty, smoky effort that offers plenty of ripe currants, vanilla bean and crushed rock characteristics in its medium to full-bodied, nicely concentrated, elegant style. Like all the 2014s, it stays fresh and focused, without a huge amount of depth, yet it has top-notch purity and elegance, with fine tannin. Give bottles a few years to shed some tannin and drink it over the following decade or so.

A pretty whiff of bay leaf leads off this red, followed by warm currant, raspberry and plum coulis notes. Plush-edged but focused, with light sanguine and iron notes giving direction through the rounded-off, sneaky long finish. Drink now through 2026. 300 cases made, 50 cases imported.??–JM??Region: France / Northern Rh?ne / Hermitage Select to Add