An incredibly refined, elegant, floral and silky Hermitage. The nose shows notes of dark cherries, forest berries, sweet spices, forest floor and a hint of roasted meat. Medium-bodied with finely grained tannins. It’s very 2021, with freshness and brightness. Violets caress the palate and the pristine, lively finish with length and a touch of pepper. Drink or hold.

A tasting of the constituent lieux-dits before blending was as instructive as ever. Péléat was smooth, silky and red-fruited with good acidity; Beaumes slightly meatier, a little less concentrated than a typical year, but with good tannic drive; L'Ermite was serious, dry and mineral; Bessards very strict, with tight, rigid tannins. The final blend is likely to produce a structural rather than generous style of Hermitage, with tannins that will need a long time in bottle to settle. This will be ascetic in youth, then complex and textural with age.

More in the mold of the 2014, the 2021 Hermitage is a ripe, polished, beautifully balanced Hermitage that doesn't have the depth and concentration of a great vintage, yet shines for its elegance, balance, and overall sense of class. Red and black fruits, saddle leather, camphor, and subtle gamey, bouquet garni notes, as well as a brilliant sense of minerality, define this medium-bodied, balanced, silky Hermitage. It's going to shine with just 3-5 years of bottle age, and while I would enjoy bottles over the coming 10-15 years, these light yet perfectly balanced wines have an uncanny ability to age longer than we expect.

The refined 2021 L'Hermitage was cropped at 37 hL/ha and bottled in early September 2023. It is laced with finely delineated orange rind, raspberry, red cherry, red plum, dried herbs, pencil shavings, black cherry, crushed violet and cedar. Showing excellent tension on the medium-bodied palate, the 2021 brings it home with clarity and freshness. That being said, it won’t be as long lived as either the 2020 or 2022. -- Nicolas Greinacher