Domaine Chave Hermitage Vintage Preferences?

Rouge: 2013 or 2014
Blanc: 2011, 2012, 2013
Thanks.

To buy for later consumption or to drink now?

Rouge: 13. 14 is quite good, in a more lean and sinewy way, if you find it at a good price.

Both. I was thinking that the 2014 rouge would be more accessible until I read Alan’s comment.

JLL gives the slight edge to the '13 on the reds:

2014

the various climats one by one; 1) Péléat is the first this year, 228-litre cask **** dark robe. Grilled, sultry air with reduction, Pinotl0like airs, flowers. This is mega charming, very stylish, gives a real lovely caress of texture, very tasty droplets. Has very good style, finesse. The end is fresh and clear. 21 years. 2) L’Hermite, 1950s Syrah, 228-litre cask ***() dark robe. There is an effortless roll of blackberry in the aroma, has joli depth, has tea and brewed meat stock airs. This is from granite, so is more live than the Péléat. The palate has a fine grain texture with noble and natural juice from its 1960s Syrah, comes from within. There are smoky late moments, belle length; it persists with a very sure hand. 23 years 3) Le Méal, 228-litre cask ***() dark red. Closely packed, red berry aroma, with grilling – it is a sturdy, full opening. This has hidden corners; its red berry fruit has a quiet density, and there is a clear snap on the end. This is a discreet Méal, delivers nice quiet crunch on the finish. 24 years 4) Les Bessards, used 228-litre cask **** dark red. The nose has a smoky appeal, prolongs well, has a stately presence. The palate gives good early crunch, dark berry fruit; this has a very clear structure – there is breeze and light in it. Refined, tight, fresh and clear. 23 years OVERALL ***() fine, clear-cut, a little tight. A northern wine, indeed. It will be best left until around ten years’ old, to permit a gain in flesh, content, and to allow fusion of content and acidity. It lacks the sunshine depth of Méal from the more sunny years this vintage. “2014 is a year for the best terroirs; there are small wines and good wines this year – the usually not great wines aren’t good at all this year,” Jean-Louis Chave. 2037-40 Dec 2015

2013
the various climats one by one; Beaume is first this year (cask) ***() dark robe. Classy, floating aroma of serious depth, is cool-noted. The palate is notably stylish; it is plump, has gras, shows good outer clarity, propels forward well. The finish is spiced. 23 years. Péléat (cask) ***** dark robe. Reduction but a rounded air here – stylish, even flattering dark red berries aroma. The palate is well juiced, has a savoury, chewy nature, is a bit finer than Beaume, is really aromatic and rich and true as it ends. Beau – this is a striking Péléat, and I am not surprised it was served after Beaume this year. 25 years. L’Hermite (cask) ***** dark robe; the nose gives a sense of brewed prune and dark berry, plums – it is a pretty solid but fine nose. The palate is a ball of wrapped up flavour, isn’t evident. The granite asserts at the end, has its rocky tannin there. There are saline, iodine qualities here; it is all very long, an intricate wine, the second best of the bunch behind Bessards. “It is complex,” Jean-Louis Chave. 26 years. Le Méal (cask) ****** dark colour. There is typical density on the nose, which has an oily depth – chocolate and oak are involved, it is a wide and deep do, with lift, though. The palate reveals a stylish depth, a little of the usual Méal sweetness and a lean towards jam. Licorice, tangy finish. The vintage shows especially via its arrow-like ending. Good juice in this. 26 years. “It is a quite direct, pointed Méal,” Jean-Louis Chave. Les Bessards (cask, the high and the low parts of the hill together since there was so little crop) ***** very dark. Reduction in a nose of proper depth, bears ripe black fruit, blueberry, violet, and a savoury, meat stock angle. The palate has cool glazing as usual, with a stylish ball of black fruit; this is elegant and persistent. The sign-off is very typical – mineral, clear, a lovely finish that is salty and spiced. 28 years. OVERALL: ***** the Big Three have all done well this year, and the fact that Méal is orderly, more refined than in the hot sun years, means that the final blend with be very well balanced, orchestrated by Bessards and L’Hermite, with Méal and a notable Péléat furnishing the foundation of really stylish, enjoyable gras at its centre. 2040-43 Jan 2015

For drinking now: none red
2013 is slightly more powerful (a bit like 1998), 2014 a bit more civilized (reminds me on 1994) … both need 20+ years.

For drinking now: 1991, 1994, 1997 … (2002) …

white: hard to say which to drink now, all are really outstanding, maybe 2013 has not gone in its usual shell … which is often 4-6 years after the vintage.
I loved the 2011 from tank and later a year after bottling …

Thanks to those who responded. These wines are available locally for less than half of what they are selling for online. Unfortunately, the retailer does not have an online presence.

If thats the case buy both

I remembered tasting a couple of these at a dinner last year:

The one you’re bringing to dinner [cheers.gif]

If all these wines are available at half off and provenance is good, I would buy some of every vintage. We had a red and white Chave tasting a year or so back and the most impressive aspect of the tasting was the consistency of excellence of Chave in all tasted vintages, (12 vintages spanning roughly from 1988 to 2011) He seems to use what mother nature gives him to create a regal and elegant expression of hermitage no matter.

So if you can get that kind of a discount, I’d be loading up across them all and not just going for the “top” vintage if you can.

FWIW, I was blown away by the complexity of his whites, such that I went out and bought several vintages after the tasting to age.

EZ PZ, at half, buy both.

I was at a restaurant last year that had the 12 at better pricing than what I could find retail. That was an easy buy and, while youthful, was damn fine over the course of dinner. I suspect that 2013 will need considerable time whereas 2014 is likely approachable before the 2013.

I’d be all over these at half price.

This is the conclusion that I’ve come to with the information provided from this thread. It seems as though vintage ratings are not as critical with Chave as may be the case with other producers.

I tend to like his whites more than the reds, because it is easy to find great tasting red Rhones at less cost, but use there are so few great white Rhones available. Pity I cannot afford to buy them now.