M. Chapoutier Le Pavillon Ermitage 2016 Case of 6 btl.

Aged entirely in barriques (25% new), the 2016 Ermitage le Pavillon shows only a hint of warm pencil shavings on the nose, beautifully setting up notes of fresh blackcurrants. Full-bodied, concentrated and plush across the mid-palate, it turns rich and velvety on the nearly endless finish, marked by savory notes of beef, licorice and espresso. If you wish to catch a glimpse of this wine’s greatness, it would be no crime to open a bottle upon release, as I suspect it will close down for a number of years soon afterward.

Luminous blackberry and raspberry flavors are edged by shards of stone and smoke in this deeply fruity but intensely mineral Syrah. It’s fresher and brighter in fruit than the producer’s other 2016 Hermitage, full bodied but taut and bracing in feel. Rigid tannins should meld as the wine opens and gains complexity. Best enjoyed from 2022, it should reward cellaring well through 2040. Anna Lee C. Iijima