Ermitage, L'Ermite, 1999

Medium ruby. Cooler but precise aromas of blackberry, blueberry, licorice and menthol; last year my barrel sample was dominated by the 60% new oak, but in the finished wine the wood has been thoroughly integrated. The sweetest and most powerful of this trio, but extremely backward, even tough, today; conveys a strong impression of medicinal austerity. But this is superconcentrated and vibrant, a distinctly uphill style of Hermitage. In fact, this is less obviously a wine from the '99 vintage than it is simply great Hermitage. Finishes with powerful granular tannins and subtle, chewy persistence. The '98 special Hermitage bottlings came from lower yields, according to Mathieu, but may not last as long as these '99s.