jean louis chave hermitage rouge 2016 magnum

the chave family has been established in the rhone valley wine industry for several centuries, thanks to a local lord who granted them land at the end of the 15th century. son of gérard, jean-louis chave now runs this legendary estate on the hermitage hillside... and continues to take on challenges. the latest one: the clos florentin, acquired in 2009, which had been devastated by phylloxera. in the 1990s, jean-louis chave also recovered parcels on the hillside of bachasson, located in the saint-joseph appellation. the estate strives to express the best of its terroirs, without parcel selection or "super vintages". the only exception is the cathelin cuvée, named after a deceased painter and friend of the winemaker... only made in the great vintages, its production does not exceed 2000 bottles. today, jean-louis chave seeks to perpetuate the style of the estate's wines, faithful to the ancestral practices that have forged its reputation: control of yields, no use of herbicides or artificial fertilizers, harvesting as late as possible to reach perfect maturity, and vinification with very little intervention, leaving the wine to build itself up as it wishes. the harvest of each plot is vinified and matured separately, to allow it to express all its specificity, which is essential to ensure a beautiful complexity in the final blend. this magnificent jean-louis chave hermitage gives a glimpse of the grandeur of rhone syrah. the secret of the beauty and complexity found in this jl chave hermitage comes from the masterful blending of grapes from some of the best parcels in the entire hermitage appellation: bessards, l'hermite, peleat, meal, beaume, diognieres and vercandiered. the 2 hectares of vineyards in bessards are considered the heart and soul of this bottle. each parcel is vinified and aged separately, until the blend is produced. profound and long-lived, the jean-louis chave hermitage rouge is a fleshy wine perfumed with cedar, berries and spices. its structure is immaculate and its balance heavenly. it manages to maintain a firm, noble tannic character without being at all harsh or overly rigid. time only adds layers of velvety texture and depth to each bottle.