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750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $801.71
The wine of the vintage (and I’ll include all the wines of the northern Rhône, red and white in that grouping) is...
WA
100
WS
97
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White
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $458.28
I’ve probably rated the L'Ermite Blanc a perfect score more times than any other wine out there, and the 2015...
WA
100
JD
100
Long-term Pre-Arrival
White
1.5Ltr - 1 Bottle
Bottle: $1260.68
The best of the lineup in 2016 is unquestionably the 2016 Ermitage L’Ermite Blanc, which is all Marsanne from the...
JD
100
WA
98
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White
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $557.45
The best of the lineup in 2016 is unquestionably the 2016 Ermitage L’Ermite Blanc, which is all Marsanne from the...
JD
100
WA
98
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White
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $639.81
As in 2016, my favorite of the white parcel selections this year is the 2017 Ermitage l'Ermite Blanc (231 cases...
WA
100
DC
98
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White
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $472.45
Another truly flawless wine from this dream team is the 2018 Ermitage L’Ermite Blanc, which comes from a vineyard...
WA
100
JD
100
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White
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $406.72
Another perfect wine in the lineup is the 2020 Ermitage L'Ermite Blanc, and white wine simply doesn’t get any...
JD
100
WA
98
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White
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $419.22
Case only
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750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $184.95
Perhaps the most surprising thing is how spectacular the 2002 whites are from Michel Chapoutier. Because of space...
WA
94
VM
94
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750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $240.18
Just as good as the de l’Orée, but in a very different style, the medium gold-hued 2006 Ermitage Le Méal Blanc...
WA
99
JD
99
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White
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $204.20
I was shocked by the 2007 Ermitage le Meal Blanc and from a vintage that yielded mostly forward, supple and...
WA
99
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White
1.5Ltr - 1 Bottle
Bottle: $678.30
From a warm site and a hot vintage, the 2009 Ermitage le Meal Blanc was harvested on the August 28, and aged in 100%...
WA
99
WS
98
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White
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $221.95
From a warm site and a hot vintage, the 2009 Ermitage le Meal Blanc was harvested on the August 28, and aged in 100%...
WA
99
WS
98
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White
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $205.24
Slightly more reserved now than on release, the 2012 Ermitage le Meal Blanc offers tons of honeyed minerality,...
WA
97
WS
96
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White
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $221.89
Similar in style to the hedonistically-styled Cuvee de l’Orée (especially when compared to the structured,...
WA
97
WS
95
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White
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $249.94
Another perfect wine is the 2015 Ermitage le Meal Blanc. The most decadent, unctuous and layered in the lineup, with...
WA
100
WS
98
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White
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $174.12
Similarly colored, the 2016 Ermitage Le Méal Blanc comes from a warmer terroir of pebbly and more loess soils and...
JD
97
DC
96
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750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $229.95
The 2017 Ermitage le Meal Blanc starts with refined notes of crushed stone and pencil shavings that move into a...
WA
98
WS
98
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White
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $203.06
97-99 Is le Méal the most complex and complete lieu-dit on Hermitage, when considering both red and white wines? The...
WA
99
JD
98
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White
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $183.40
I was blown away by the 2020 Ermitage Le Méal Blanc, which is certainly the finest vintage of this cuvée I’ve...
JD
100
JS
98

Marsanne Melon de Bourgogne Pecorino

One of the more unusual French grape varietals, Melon de Bourgogne has been grown in and around the Loire Valley for several hundred years. In fact, this grape was first planted in the Loire region of Pays Nantais back in the mid 17th century, after a devastating frost decimated most of the red grapes which were typical in the area. The winemakers of Pays Nantais were keen to cultivate vines which were hardy, high yielding, and capable of surviving another such frost, and so turned their attention to Melon de Bourgogne for this very reason. The native home of the varietal is actually in Burgundy, where it is still grown to a lesser extent.


Because Melon de Bourgogne produces naturally heavy yields, the vintners of Pays Nantais go to great lengths to reduce the amount of fruit the vines bear. This allows the finest characteristics of the grape to come forward, and also opens up the opportunity for it to express the wonderful granite and schist soils in which the vines are grown. Melon de Bourgogne is a minerally white wine grape varietal, with a very subtle set of fruit flavors. It is prized for its freshness and brightness, and is seeing a revival in the twenty first century as an excellent wine for pairing with a wide range of foods.