This remains a youthful yet sensational Hermitage. Deep ruby/black in color (no amber) with an explosive bouquet of toasty oak, tar, licorice, and jammy black-cherry fruit, this full-bodied wine has stunning layers of fruit, plenty of tannin, and exceptional length. Tasted three times since the first edition of this book, it has not budged in evolution. Anticipated maturity: 2000-2020. Last tasted 6/96.

This is a monumental effort! I had only tasted this wine once (with Sorrel in 1980), but thanks to the generosity of France's Michel Bettane, I had it again in 1994. After 14 years of bottle age, the wine had barely changed! It remains black/ruby in color, with a superb bouquet that seemed to inundate the olfactory senses with coffee, olives, cedar, jammy fruit, and exotic spices. Still immense and massive on the palate, this hugely proportioned wine may have shed some tannin, but little else. It had unbelievable length, and for those lucky enough to have this wine cellared, it should offer considerable challenge to the monumental wines made by Chave and Jaboulet in 1978. A profound Hermitage! Anticipated maturity: 2000-2025. Last tasted 6/94.