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Red
1.5Ltr
Bottle: $435.00
Rated 99 - Screaming "Granite!" at the top of its lungs, the 2015 Saint Joseph Le Clos comes from an east-facing...
JD
99
WA
96
Case only
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Red
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $174.63
Rated 97 - In the debut vintage for this bottling, the 2015 Cote Rotie Neve makes a huge splash. It has that unique...
WA
97
JD
96
Case only
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Red
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $674.61
Rated 100 - Lastly, the 2015 Ermitage L’Ermite offers that classic, searing granite/ozone-laced bouquet of crème...
WA
100
JD
100
Case only
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White
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $219.95
Rated 98 - Of the three sélection parcellaire whites, the 2015 Ermitage de l’Orée is the most fresh and lively,...
WA
98
DC
97
Case only
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White
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $458.28
Rated 100 - I’ve probably rated the L'Ermite Blanc a perfect score more times than any other wine out there, and...
WA
100
JD
100
Case only
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Red
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $289.94
Rated 100 - A perfect wine, the 2015 Ermitage Le Méal offers straight-up otherworldly notes of black raspberries,...
JD
100
WA
99
Case only
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White
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $269.90
Rated 100 - Another perfect wine is the 2015 Ermitage le Meal Blanc. The most decadent, unctuous and layered in the...
WA
100
WS
98
Case only
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Red
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $285.53
Rated 100 - Another perfect wine, the 2015 Ermitage Le Pavillon comes from the Bessards lieu-dit on Hermitage, which...
JD
100
WA
99
Case only
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Red
1.5Ltr - Case of 6
Bottle: $176.26
Rated 95 - When a so-called entry-level wine performs at this level, you know that producer has had a stupendous...
WA
95
VM
94

The Rhone region of France is one which is deeply influenced by tradition. With a wine history which stretches back to well over a thousand years, and a consistent degree of excellence demonstrated by their wineries, producing wines which have shaped the drink as we know it, it isn’t difficult to see why tradition is held in such high regard. What is unusual then, is when you find a Rhone winery which, while producing excellent, classic Rhone wines, is also willing to seek out new opportunities and break from the norm somewhat.

One such winery is Maison Chapoutier. The Chapoutier family are a proper, old Rhone clan, who operate on land which has been passed down from father to son since the end of the 18th century. The winery was set up on the ancestral site in 1879, when a set of heritage vineyards were bought and new vines were sown, thus starting the business which continues to this day. The wineries fortunes were mixed, and for much of its history it didn’t make any great waves with their traditional, standard Hermitage wines which were probably very similar to those made elsewhere in the village. However, in the 1980s, the latest generation of Chapoutiers, Michel and Marc, took over the business from their father with a renewed sense of passion and keenness to make their voices heard and their wine tasted across the world.

The results were highly positive, and the Rhone wines of Maison Chapoutier quickly gained recognition for their excellence and complexity. The success of their home produce prompted the Chapoutier brothers to expand their family business, and they soon set their sights on becoming an international company, spreading their unique style - blending Rhone tradition with global sophistication - elsewhere around the world. They bought vineyards in Portugal, and then Australia, and decided to break with tradition completely and turn their farming techniques over to the biodynamic method, which emphasizes using natural cycles of the moon, enriching the soils with various natural components, and trying to be completely harmonious with nature. As such, all of their vineyards around the world are completely organic and biodynamic, and all of their wines are single-varietal - another unusual feature at odds with their traditional roots, where blending is very much the norm. The results more than speak for themselves, however, and Marc and Michel Chapoutier continue to receive awards and recognition for their wines, as they seek to expand further and continue spreading their message.