On a trip to France last Fall with a couple of wine buddies, I had the opportunity to spend some time in the cellars of Domaine Chave in Hermitage. Behind that nondescript green door in that modest little village of the northern Rhone lay a winemaking operation some people can only dream about, and I relished the opportunity to hook up with Jean-Louis Chave and his young American wife Erin for a tasting. Although I had visited Chave on one other occasion a few years back, I was not prepared for the experience about to unfold.

Our visit, falling smack dab in the middle of the rackings for the 2003 reds and the vinifications of the 2004's could not have taken place in a more chaotic environment, and yet it is a testimony to the calm and patience of Jean-Louis that he seemed not the least perturbed by our presence there. In fact, he seemed eager to show us his still-in-barrel 2003 reds and whites from the famously torrid vintage.
Indeed, he expressed to us that the vintage presented a rare opportunity that neither he nor his father Gerard, since effectively retired from the day-to-day operation, had ever seen or would likely see again.
The white wine components, still in cask separately, may remain in wood (by and large older wood) for up to four years more before being bottled. The white parcels number four: l'Ermite, Roucoules, Maison Blanche, and Peleat, and range in style from big, opulently fruity wines simply jammed with power, to firmly tannic, mineral-laden creatures it would take years to open.
The reds, derived from 7 parcels, display flavors and aromas ranging from delicate violets to kirsch, to plums, to more earthy aromas and flavors of game, roasted meats, and mushrooms, with varying degrees of black pepper.
All are extaordinary, and would perhaps be wonderful on their own if bottled separately. But "Hermitage," explained Jean-Louis with not the least degree of superciliousness, "is all about blending."
And so one can begin to appreciate the awesome sense of responsibility the winemaker feels in the face of the greatest vintage his region has experienced in perhaps one hundred years or more, and his determination not to screw it up! Based on our barrel tasting, I don't imagine he needs to worry on that score. I'll be sure to get my orders in early for the wines of this vintage of the last century, but in the meantime, I'll have to content myself with a cellar full of as many of the 01's and 02's as I can possibly lay down. It's an exciting time to be a Chave fan!