The prodigious 1999 Beaucastel boasts aromas of blackberry fruit intermixed with cassis, licorice, roasted meats, leather, and truffles. While it does not possess much fat or precociousness, it displays definition and elegance. This is a full-bodied, concentrated, classic Beaucastel. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2025. Wine Advocate # 138; Dec 2001 Robert Parker 91/100 Drink 2007 - 2025

The 1999 Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape is a profoundly rich, concentrated, classic vin de garde. Made from 30% Grenache, 30% Mourvedre, 10% Syrah, 10% Counoise, and the remainder a blend of other varietals, it is one of the blackest, most opaque-colored Beaucastels of the last decade. The bouquet offers aromas of licorice, roasted meats, black cherry and blackberry fruit, and a truffle-like earthy note. Broodingly backward, formidably endowed, powerful, and extremely tannic, it will require 8-10 years of cellaring, and should age effortlessly for three decades or more. Wine Advocate # 131 Oct 2000 Robert Parker (91-95/100) Drink 2008 - 2030

Really dense and locked up now, this is packed with dark fig, currant and blackberry fruit shrouded by layers of tar, hot stone, bittersweet licorice and espresso. The long, dense finish has a great tug of iron buried within it. Best from 2011 through 2030. 96 Points; Wine Spectator

#8 Wine Spectator Top 100 of 2008

The 2005 Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape is a wine that probably needs 7-10 years of bottle age. Possibly the most backward and closed Beaucastel made since the 1995, the wine has very high tannins, seems totally closed aromatically, but in the mouth is a weighty wine exhibiting a dense ruby/purple color and tight aromatics consisting of new saddle leather, porcini, meat juices, licorice, tar, and black fruits. The wine is full-bodied, powerful, very tannic, and structured in a dramatically masculine, ageworthy style. This is one for the younger generation or those with considerable patience. I can't see it being close to drinkable before 2014 and lasting up to 30 or more years. 94 Points; The Wine Advocate

The thirteen grape varieties of the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation with a strong percentage of Mourvèdre and Grenache (30% each), Syrah 10%, Counoise 10% Cinsault 5% and the rest divided up amongst the remaining grape varieties: Vaccarèse, Terret noir, Muscardin, Picpoul, Picardan, Bourboulenc, Roussanne. The Grenache and the Cinsault give the wine its color, intensity and softness. The Mourvèdre, Syrah, Muscardin and Vaccarèse give the wine its renowned ageing potential and dark, classic character. The Counoise, Picpoul and other varieties provide freshness, fragrance and aromatic quality.

Layers of melted fig, mulled boysenberry and black currant fruit are laced with notes of charred mesquite, hoisin sauce and coffee. The long, silky mouthfeel belies the latent power in reserve. Best from 2010 through 2030. 96 Points; Wine Spectator

Beaucastel’s 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape has turned out even better out of bottle than I predicted. An inky/ruby/purple color is followed by a glorious nose of blue and black fruits, truffles, pen ink, licorice, and meat juices as well as glorious levels of acidity and sweet tannin, buttressing the fruit’s fabulous freshness and vibrancy. This full-bodied effort still displays considerable tannin, no doubt because of the relatively high Mourvedre content. It should resolve its tannins in 2-4 years, and last for 25 or more. 96 Points; Robert Parker; The Wine Advocate

Saturated ruby. Smoky aromas of black raspberry, cola, licorice, tar and dried flowers expand with air while maintaining focus. Extremely fresh, with energetic red and dark berry flavors strongly underscored by candied flowers and minerals. I kept waiting for tannins to come out but it didn't happen. Finishes lush and creamy, with lingering notes of red fruits and tobacco. The blend this year is 30% each of mourvedre and grenache, 10% each of syrah and counoise and the rest “all the others”. 96 Points; Stephen Tanzer; International Wine Cellar

30% Mourvèdre, 30% Grenache, 5-10% Syrah, 10% Counoise and the rest. Very dark purple. Very thick and concentrated and extremely ripe. Quite difficult to see the acid. Lots of tannins, but tannins are ripe or mûr - and mûres (blackberries) in fact - grainy tannins. Date tasted 10th Dec 08. Score: 18 Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com (10 Aug 09), August 2009

Faurie makes two St Joseph, a standard and a Vieilles Vignes (old vines). The Vieilles Vignes is not much more expensive and is always the better of the two. So it is this latter wine that we import. It is always one of the finest of the appellation; a deliciously intense & complex Syrah with plenty of backbone and excellent aging potential (10 years will not weary it). The 2005 is the best example we have seen. It will need a good decant before serving.

Josh Raynolds: [Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar Jan/Feb 2007] 89-92 points, excellent to outstanding “Deep ruby. Textbook syrah aromas of red and dark berries, violet, smoked meat and graphite. Fresh, tangy red and blackcurrant flavors display impressive concentration and energy, with a suave framework of gentle tannins. Finishes spicy, fresh and long, with a repeating red fruit tone. This is from vines averaging 60 years of age.”

Faurie has been one of the up and coming stars of Hermitage for over a decade but he continues to receive little acclaim. While his wines are full flavoured, they retain an elegance and finesse and, like those of Chave, start life very slowly... His winemaking style comes closest to that of Gérard Chave. Robert Parker

Bernard Faurie - not new but on a roll. Jancis Robinson

Don’t worry Bernard! You make lovely wines, full of the authentic Hermitage qualities. Yours is a benchmark domaine in a wonderful appellation. Hang loose! John Livingstone-Learmonth, The Wines of the Northern Rhone.

The amusing quote above from John Livingstone-Learmonth gives you an insight into the mind of Bernard Faurie. In short, although Faurie is a quiet, unassuming winemaker, quite content to lay low in his Northern Rhone enclave and let his wines do the talking; he is also a perfectionist, constantly worrying about how he can make his wines better. Of-course, it is people with this type of persona that invariably make the finest wines in their appellation and there is no question that Faurie today ranks amongst the finest producers in both Hermitage and St Joseph.

Bernard Faurie produces tiny quantities of wonderfully elegant reds in the cramped, modest cellar at the rear of his house. There is no fancy equipment here, just a few barrels and a pipette that Faurie meticulously washes each time he dips it in a barrel to extract a sample. As Livingstone-Learmonth has noted; “Bernard works almost obsessively to avoid any dirt or risk of infection in his cellar at all times; he is one of the only growers I know who washes his pipette after each wine during a tasting… this habit, of which he is not really conscious, shows just why this domaine produces such wonderfully pure wines. The grower’s commitment to them is total and respectful.” We could add to this that Faurie is also the only grower we know who refuses to tip wine back into barrels once it has been put in a glass. It is because of this fastidiousness that Faurie’s wines are so clean and pure.

Faurie’s family have owned vines on the hill of Hermitage since 1935. Today he owns a total of 1.7 hectares in Hermitage (le Méal, Greffieux and Bessard) and approximately the same in St Joseph. He works his vines as naturally as possible, using a horse to plough, and makes wine in the classic manner; no de-stemming, whole bunch fermentation, natural yeasts, no fining and only a light filtration if necessary. The wines are aged for up to 24 months in predominantly 600lt demi muids. Whatever new oak there is, typically between 10-30%, is simply the result of Faurie needing to replace barrels that have past their use-by date. His total production is a miniscule 600-700 cases. We are very lucky to have access to these wines.

M Chapoutier, La Mordorée 2005 Côte-Rôtie 18.5 Drink 2011-23; Not especially dark crimson. Lots of black pepper and ripe richness too. Also an almost burgundian element of compost. Rich and juicy start with tight finish and lots of very fine tannins. I’m sure this wine will eventually be beautifully silky. A very light touch as far as winemaking goes. Nothing like Guigal – more fragrant and airborne - but more solid and reticent than, say, Rostaing. Pretty impressive. Sixty year old vines grown on the Côte Blonde, fermented in open oak fermenters and matured in one third new oak. Jancis Robinson. 2005 Rhone - Chapoutier Really Shines publication date: Dec 11, 2006

There are 577 cases of the 2005 Cote Rotie La Mordoree. This deep ruby/purple wine exhibits loads of tannin, bits of bacon fat, cassis, and a steely personality with superb depth, but an abundance of structure and tannin, and also displays tobacco leaf and a hint of fig. It will require 5-8 years of cellaring and drink well for 20-25 years. Wine Advocate # 175 Feb 2008 Robert Parker 94+ Drink: 2013 - 2033

I might be crawling out on a limb, but I think the 2006 Cote Rotie La Mordoree is the finest example of Chapoutier’s 100% Syrah Cote Rotie since his 1991. Inky purple to the rim without a touch of aggressiveness, the wine flows over the palate in a seamless way, with layers of black fruits, cherries, licorice, graphite, and some roasted meat and tapenade notes. This is a sensational, multi-dimensional Cote Rotie that I suspect will be drinkable in 3-4 years, and evolve beautifully for two decades. Wine Advocate # 175 Feb 2008 Robert Parker (96-98) Drink: 2011 - 2028

An amazing effort is the 2005 Ermitage Cuvee de l’Oree. This should flirt with perfection given its nose of white peach liqueur intermixed with quince, acacia flower, hazelnut, and honeysuckle. This amazingly full-bodied, powerful wine has zesty acidity and a tannic structure which is exquisite. It will be a 50+-year wine. Drink 2007 - 2057. Wine Advocate # 170; Apr 2007 Robert Parker (98-100)

M Chapoutier, Ermitage de l’Orée 2005 Hermitage Blanc 18.5 Drink 2008-16; Floral, blossomy aromas with real muskiness underneath – the most obvious Marsanne of these three white Ermitages, surely Marsanne at its most glorious? Smoky tension too but this wine is already quite advanced on the nose with a lovely fine skein of structure and chewiness underneath. Long and powerful. Pretty yummy and open. Marsanne of 60 to 70 years old on alluvial deposits from the old glacial era. Jancis Robinson;

I began with the whites and just one sniff was enough to conjure up all that wild, nature’s cocktail, positively-pulsating-with-molecules sensation that so many biodynamic wines seem to me to have. With a few exceptions noted below, many of these wines, all cask samples taken several weeks before they were tasted by me, were in excellent condition and actually rather good drinks even now. I was particularly struck by their freshness in most cases. There was obviously real concentration and extract here but is most cases no trace of heat or alcohol on the finish.The balance is exceptional. I am very excited about these wines (which I tasted alone at home, so certainly not swayed in any way by anyone making or selling them) and reckon they have a glorious future ahead. 2005 Rhone - Chapoutier Really Shines publication date: Dec 11, 2006

M Chapoutier, Ermitage Le Méal 2005 Hermitage Rouge 19/20 Drink 2015-30; Some very rich, black fruit elements here. Quite aromatic and then very rich and velvety on the palate. It’s the finish that keeps it dry rather than sweet. Sandy tannins. Zesty. Lots of excitement there. This spreads fully across the palate. A very complete wine indeed. Pretty neat tannins and obvious oak influence here. Fifty year old vines on stony, clay, mid level vineyards. Jancis Robinson. 2005 Rhone - Chapoutier Really Shines publication date: Dec 11, 2006

There are 481 cases of the black/purple 2005 Ermitage Le Meal. As always, classic blackberry, asphalt, charcoal, and beef blood notes jump from the glass of this intense wine. Full-bodied, with staggering concentration and a personality not terribly dissimilar from a first-growth Pauillac, but showing no evidence of oak whatsoever (and that is in spite of being aged in 100% new oak casks), this wine needs 10-12 years of bottle age, and should keep for 50-100 years. Wine Advocate # 175 Feb 2008 Robert Parker 96 Drink: 2018

It is difficult to believe the intensity Chapoutier has achieved in the 1992 Ermitage Le Pavilion. The black/purple color is followed by a sweet, intense fragrance of licorice, peppery black currants, and spices. Full-bodied, powerful, and dense, with remarkable intensity, this is a supple wine that should be drinkable in 6-7 years, and last for 20-25 years. It is a remarkable achievement for the vintage. Anticipated maturity: 2000-2020. Robert Parker 95/100

Similar in style to the 1993, the 1992 Hermitage Le Pavillon offers an exotic, Asian spice, mineral, licorice, and essence of blackcurrant and black-cherry-scented nose. Amazingly rich and intense, with a finish that lasts for over a minute, this is another monumental effort. It is slightly lower in acidity than the 1993 and 1991, but wow, what intensity and length! Chapoutier is proud to boast that while he is now the largest vineyard owner in Hermitage (85 acres, or about one-fourth of the entire appellation), he is only third when it comes to wine production! In a short period of time (Michel's first vintage was 1989) Chapoutier's Hermitage Le Pavillon has become a wine of mythical proportions. Produced from extremely old vines, some dating from the mid nineteenth century, with yields averaging under 15 hectoliters per hectare, this is the richest, most concentrated and profound wine made in Hermitage. There are rarely more than 500 cases. Wine Advocate # 93; Jun 1994 Robert Parker (98-100)

A legend of the future is the 2003 Ermitage Le Pavillon (659 cases). The equal of such stupendous examples as 1990 and 1989, the 2003 is incredibly rich as well as awesomely well-delineated and fresh. An inky/blue/purple color is followed by a subtle but impressively intense nose of barbecue smoke, creme de cassis, blueberries, blackberries, and white flowers. The wine cascades over the palate (15.8% natural alcohol) with extraordinary richness, intensity, and silkiness. This seamlessly constructed Hermitage is, analytically, high in tannin, but extremely low in acidity, with a freaky accessibility (a vintage character). Prodigiously concentrated and high in extract, it should last for a half century or longer. It will be fascinating to follow over the next several decades. Drink 2006 - 2056, Wine Advocate # 163; Feb 2006 Robert Parker 100 

An awesome effort, the 2003 Ermitage La Pavillon is produced from an old vineyard in Les Bessards. Tasting this wine is akin to a religious drinking experience. An endlessly complex, extraordinarily rich, complicated offering, it may last a century. There are 500 cases of this wine, which smells like acacia flowers intermixed with black currant liqueur, melted licorice, Chinese black tea, and incense. With supple tannin, an unctuous texture, and a massive finish, this is a legend in the making. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2060+. As I have said so many times over the last 15 years, the top Chapoutier wines are meant for very long term drinking, and are not designed for immediate gratification. Everything Chapoutier is doing, from his bio-dynamically farmed vineyard to tiny yields, extended fermentations, indigenous yeasts, and no fining or filtration, is done to produce the essence of a vineyard and a vintage. His track record since 1989 and 1990 admirably proves that these are indeed remarkable wines made by a young genius who refuses to compromise. Michel Chapoutier has been misunderstood by some of his peers, and there is a lot of jealousy when someone this young is so incredibly talented, but it is an irrefutable fact that these are wines of singular greatness as well as longevity. Drink 2015 - 2060; Wine Advocate # 156; Dec 2004 Robert Parker (99-100)

M Chapoutier, Ermitage Le Pavillon 2005 Hermitage Rouge 19/20? Drink 2018-30; Restrained but very complex nose. Extremely tight and tense and those shoulders are SO hunched up! Tingling on the palate, this wine is probably the best of the lot but it’s all hidden for the moment. Dry, tense, stone-like – this is textural rather than aromatic. Fine boned and rather academic and inscrutable. So dry! Very interesting wine though perhaps difficult to pick immediately as an Hermitage. Vines grown on a granite base and mature in half new oak.. Jancis Robinson. 2005 Rhone - Chapoutier Really Shines publication date: Dec 11, 2006

The biggest production cuvee, the 2005 Ermitage Le Pavillon (1,067 cases in this vintage) has a dense purple color, the classic acacia flower, graphite-based, smoky creme de cassis nose with a tremendous intensity and a full-bodied power and richness that is awesome. These are monumental wines, and when you think that this wine, much like most of its siblings, is made from yields of 12-18 hectoliters per hectare, the explanation for its concentration and extraordinary expression of terroir is obvious.  Wine Advocate # 175 Feb 2008 Robert Parker 98+ Points

Potentially perfect is the 2006 Ermitage Le Pavillon. This is a monumental wine that also reminds me of the 1991. Inky black/purple to the rim, with an extraordinary nose of subtle smoke, melted licorice, creme de cassis, truffle, and graphite, full-bodied, powerful, with elevated tannins, but so sweet and velvety, the acidity gives the wine a freshness and precision as well as transparency. This is amazing stuff! Anticipated maturity: 2012-2045. Wine Advocate # 175 Feb 2008 Robert Parker (96-100) Drink: 2012 - 2045

The 2005 Ermitage l’Ermite blanc is a wine with incredible fruit and an amazingly layered mouthfeel. There are flowers, there are minerals, there’s quince, white currants, perhaps peach as well, but the sheer minerality of the wine and its force and richness without tasting heavy or over-the-top is simply mind-boggling. It is backward and more intellectually challenging than l’Oree, but it is a tour de force in winemaking. It will be a 50+ year wine. Drink 2007 - 2057; Wine Advocate # 170; Apr 2007 Robert Parker (95-98)

M Chapoutier, Ermitage L’Ermite 2005 Hermitage Blanc 18.5 Drink 2010-18; Broad putty-like, almost (attractive) varnish on the nose – then extremely nervy on the palate with a really strong vein of liquorice, plus a hit of lemon cough drops. More muscular and sinewy than the Meal. Lots of energy here too. Still quite chewy. Best wait for quite a while. Just a slight weakness on the finish. Chapoutier’s oldest Marsanne vines on granite at the top of the hill. Jancis Robinson

I began with the whites and just one sniff was enough to conjure up all that wild, nature’s cocktail, positively-pulsating-with-molecules sensation that so many biodynamic wines seem to me to have. With a few exceptions noted below, many of these wines, all cask samples taken several weeks before they were tasted by me, were in excellent condition and actually rather good drinks even now. I was particularly struck by their freshness in most cases. There was obviously real concentration and extract here but is most cases no trace of heat or alcohol on the finish.The balance is exceptional. I am very excited about these wines (which I tasted alone at home, so certainly not swayed in any way by anyone making or selling them) and reckon they have a glorious future ahead. 2005 Rhone - Chapoutier Really Shines publication date: Dec 11, 2006

M Chapoutier, Ermitage L’Ermite 2005 Hermitage Rouge 18.5/20 Drink 2013-25; Dark crimson. Full, meaty, very confident nose. Almost like raw, bloody meat on the nose with SO much underneath! Very opulent front palate then great sinewy crawl over the palate. This reminds me of a very muscular male ballet dancer, if you see what I mean. From 80 year old vines clinging to the extremely poor soils around the chapel at the top of the hill of Hermitage. Five to six week maceration, as with all these red Hermitages. Jancis Robinson. 2005 Rhone - Chapoutier Really Shines publication date: Dec 11, 2006

Lastly, from the very dome of the granite hill of Ermitage is the 2005 Ermitage l’Ermite. An extraordinarily powerful wine that probably needs 10-15 years in the bottle (last year I thought 20 was probably conservative), this is a 100-year wine and probably best appreciated by our descendants rather than anyone currently over the age of 30. Dense purple to the rim, with notes of crushed rock, charcoal, roasted meats, and enormous quantities of blue and black fruits, this wine is almost painfully rich and thick, with mouthsearing levels of tannin and zesty acidity. Monumental! Anticipated maturity: 2020-2080. Wine Advocate # 175 Feb 2008 Robert Parker 99+ Drink: 2020 - 2080

M Chapoutier, Ermitage L’Ermite 2005 Hermitage Rouge 18.5/20 Drink 2013-25; Dark crimson. Full, meaty, very confident nose. Almost like raw, bloody meat on the nose with SO much underneath! Very opulent front palate then great sinewy crawl over the palate. This reminds me of a very muscular male ballet dancer, if you see what I mean. From 80 year old vines clinging to the extremely poor soils around the chapel at the top of the hill of Hermitage. Five to six week maceration, as with all these red Hermitages. Jancis Robinson. 2005 Rhone - Chapoutier Really Shines publication date: Dec 11, 2006

Could the 2006 Ermitage l’Ermite be even better? It is more seamless and perhaps slightly more flamboyant and showy, and that always tends to impress me with a wine this young and concentrated. Dense bluish/purple to the rim, it has an extraordinary purity of fruit, crushed rock intermixed with some spring flowers, graphite, and licorice. This is just an amazing wine. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2060. Wine Advocate # 175 Feb 2008 Robert Parker (98-100) Drink: 2012 - 2060

Charvin made a fine 2004 Chateauneuf du Pape which is a blend of 82% Grenache, 8% Syrah, and the rest equal parts Mourvedre and Vaccarese. The wine is classic Chateauneuf, a naked expression of its site and varietals with beautifully pure black cherry fruit notes intermixed with licorice, some roasted herbs, and a hint of spice and roasted meats. With its wonderful intensity, beautiful purity, and loads of finesse and flavor, it’s a beauty that is drinking well and should continue to evolve for at least 10-12 years. As I have said so many times, young Laurent Charvin, working from this vineyard in the very northern sector of Chateauneuf du Pape, produces one of the most elegant and sublime Chateauneuf du Papes of the area . In short, the wines most closely resemble the finesse of Chateau Rayas when it was made by the late Jacques Reynaud. A real value from this estate is their Cotes du Rhone, which is a wonderful introduction to the style of the winemaking and is essentially a down-sized version of their Chateauneuf du Pape. Drink 2007 - 2019; Wine Advocate # 169; Feb 2007 Robert Parker 90
 
Laurent Charvin, the young, dedicated proprietor, made an elegant, finesse-styled 2004 Chateauneuf du Pape from a blend of 82% Grenache, 8% Syrah, and the rest equal parts Mourvedre and Vaccarese. Medium to dark ruby with an elegant nose of sweet raspberries, flowers, and cherries, the wine is medium-bodied but has outstanding density, attractive, sweet tannins, and decent acidity in a sensual, seductive style. Drink it over the next 10-14 years. Drink 2006 - 2020; Wine Advocate # 163; Feb 2006 Robert Parker (90-92)