Vertical Hermitage Red (1994-2005) - Jean-Louis Chave

Vertical Hermitage Red (1994-2005) - Jean-Louis Chave

Here is a superb collection of Hermitage from Domaine Chave. Very rare and sought-after wines. These are great wines made for ageing. One of the most beautiful domains of the Rhône and a legendary vintage. Very limited quantities.

LOT DETAILS : VERTICAL HERMITAGE ROUGE DOMAINE J.L CHAVE

12 great vintages of red Hermitage. For an incredible tasting of the great vintages of Domaine Jean-Louis Chave. Here are the details of the vintages and the ratings: 

- 1994: 93/100 RP & WS

- 1995: 97/100 RP

- 1996: 93/100 WS

- 1997: 94/100 RP

- 1998: 95+/100 RP

- 1999 : 95/100 RP

- 2000 : 96/100 RP

- 2001: 95/100 WS

- 2002: 91-94/100 RP

- 2003: 100/100 RP

- 2004: 96/100 WS

- 2005: 98/100 WS

(*RP = Robert Parker / WS = Wine Spectator)

VINIFICATION & MATURATION : 

- Since 1991, JL Chave has used mainly stainless steel, as well as three open wooden fermentation tanks for the alcoholic fermentation. The fruit is de-stemmed. It is interesting to note that this practice was used for wine production in the 1800s, but fell into disuse in the late 20th century. The fruit from each terroir is vinified separately.

- For Chave's red wine, the grapes are usually partially, but not always totally, destemmed. In very ripe years, up to 50% of the stems may be left on the grapes.

This really varies from vintage to vintage. The vinification takes place in a combination of cement tanks, stainless steel and old open French oak barrels. Each parcel is vinified and matured separately, until the blending takes place.

- Depending on the vintage, malolactic fermentation can take place in barrels, vats or tanks. Once fermentation is complete, the wine is transferred to large 228 litre oak barrels for aging. Jean Louis Chave's wines are aged in barrel for approximately 18 months. The amount of new oak varies from 10 to 20%, depending on the vintage.

- The barrels used are between 1 and 5 years old and can come from Burgundy. Jean Louis Chave has reduced the amount of new oak over time. His logic is that with refined tannins, the wine does not need so much new oak.

- The wine is blended after 18 months in barrel, usually in July. Jean Louis Chave waits 60 to 90 days after blending before bottling the wine. Production of Chave Hermitage red varies from 2,000 to 2,500 cases per vintage.

THE ESTATE

Chave has 14 hectares of vines in Hermitage. 10 hectares are planted with Syrah and are used to produce 2 Hermitage Rouge wines, JL Chave Hermitage and Chave Cuvee Cathelin. The vines are old, with an average age of 50 years, give or take a few years. The remaining 4 hectares of vines are planted with 80% Marsanne and 20% Roussanne. The vines for their Rhône white wine are even older than those for their red wine, being mostly over 60 years old. The key to the beauty and complexity of JL Chave Hermitage comes from their mastery of blending. While for the red wines, the only grape used is Syrah, the wine is made from a blend of fruit sources that come from some of the best parcels in the entire Hermitage appellation.