1990 M. Chapoutier "Monier de la Sizeranne" Hermitage

If memory serves me correctly, 1988 was the vintage where Michel Chapoutier’s wines first started to make some inroads and gain attention in the marketplace. By the time the 1990s were released, Michel was well on his way to the star level recognition that he continues to garner to this day. I had liked his 1990 la Sizeranne Hermitage quite well in its youth, but it had been at least twenty years since I had last drunk a bottle. The wine is still quite dazzling on the nose, offering up a beautiful blend of black raspberries, pepper, duck prosciutto, lavender, dark soil tones, plenty of smokiness and a quite generous serving of cedary new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, complex and still rock solid at the core, with melting tannins, fine focus and balance and a long, complex and very tasty finish. The new oak here is just a touch intrusive on the backend of the wine, but it is really only a very minor demerit for a lovely bottle.

Drinking at point, yet with plenty of life left, the 1990 M. Chapoutier Hermitage La Sizeranne yields beautifully complex aromas of currants, roasted meats, lavender, ground pepper, and tobacco.