Young Michel Chapoutier continues to raise considerable controversy wherever he goes. His unequivocable belief in the principles of Bio-Dynamic farming and his youthful confidence, that may come across as arrogance and a display of too little respect for his more experienced and more elderly peers, have not made life easy for Chapoutier, despite the number of great wines he has produced. This is all lamentable given the fact that Michel Chapoutier would be the first to acknowledge the debt he owes producers such as Marcel Guigal, Gerard Chave, Francois and Jean-Pierre Perrin, and Jacques Reynaud for leading the way. Producers who are as committed to quality as Chapoutier should attract supporters rather than detractors. The work which Chapoutier is doing, along with the work of many other top Rhone Valley producers only creates more interest in the wines of that region.
Chapoutier is extremely pleased with his 1994s, claiming it is a vintage not far removed from the powerful 1990. The crop size was extremely small, with yields generally between 1-2 tons of fruit per acre. Where pertinent, I have indicated lot numbers because of complaints about bottle variation with certain cuvees of the Chapoutier wines, most notably the firm's branded wines, Crozes-Hermitage Les Meysonnieres, St.-Joseph Deschants, and the two cuvees of Hermitage, Chante Alouette and La Sizeranne. Bottle variation can be the result of a number of factors, such as dissimilar blends (unlikely at this winery) or poor shipping and/or storage conditions, thus abusing the wine (the most likely culprit).
Among the Chapoutier red wine offerings from Crozes-Hermitage and St.-Joseph, the 1993s are noticeably less impressive today than they were when tasted prior to bottling. Since no fining or filtering is done, it is hard to envision why the wines taste so much more tannic and less opulent and rich than they did earlier. Michel Chapoutier believes he should have bottled his regular 1993 cuvees earlier to preserve the fruit as this vintage's fruit was fragile and began to disappear at an extremely early age. The 1994s exhibit greater color, ripeness, and richness than the 1993s. The greatest wine of the Chapoutier portfolio is the spectacular Ermitage Le Pavillon. Bottled unfined and unfiltered and made from a parcel of 80-year old vines on the two hillside vineyards of Les Bessards (also the backbone component of Chave's Red Label luxury Cuvee Cathelin) and Le Meal, this is Hermitage at its most concentrated and intense. Yields are generally about 15-18 hectoliters per hectare. This wine requires 8-10 years of cellaring and is capable of lasting 40-50 years. The 1989, 1990, and 1991 Ermitage Le Pavillon (Chapoutier drops the "H" in deference to the way Hermitage was spelled in the last century) are potentially legendary wines, but they have long been sold out. No Le Pavillon since 1991 is a candidate for perfection, but the 1992, 1993, and 1994 are all exceptional wines. The 1993 Le Pavillon is the Hermitage of the vintage. More austere than when I tasted it prior to bottling, it is one of the few 1993s with a sweet inner-core of fruit, as well as a dense ruby/purple color, outstanding concentration and extract, and huge tannin in the finish. It is a harder style of Le Pavillon than the 1992, but it should turn out to be a 40-50 year wine. Importer: Paterno Imports, Chicago, IL; tel. (312) 247-7070
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