Hermitage				1988	J-L Chave

12/96. Bought in auction May-96 for $61 (imported from Chicago for $76 net).
Friday night dinner: chopped liver, steak tartare with creamed potatoes, cheese, ice-cream.
COLOR: Dark blackish-red, typical Rhone color.
NOSE: Good fruit with, 'hottish', black-pepper nuances. Very pleasant aroma though not (yet?) bursting of the glass.
TASTE: Pretty young on the palate. Tannins and acidity strongly felt besides the tasty flavors. A bit subdued or perhaps more delicate than say Jaboulet "La Chapelle". Excellent but no doubt still too young.
LENGTH: Good but acidity-dominated aftertaste.
TEXTURE & BALANCE: As far as Hermitage go this is a mid-weight wine. Far yet from being mature. The wine exhibits richness in every respect, though not yet harmonized and rounded. A bit too acidic for perfect balance.
OVERALL: Superb now but only hinting at its great potential. Needs about 5 years to get there.
MARK: 18/20.aaaaaaaaBUY MORE? Yes.

Reach Me? yak@yakshaya.com

Copyright 1996-2003.
Jacob "Yak" Shaya.