Rhône
The Rhône Valley, located in southeastern France, is renowned for its exceptional fine wines. With its diverse terroir, rich history, and dedication to quality winemaking, the Rhône Valley offers a captivating selection of wines that embody the region's elegance, complexity, and distinctive character.
The Rhône Valley boasts its own iconic vineyards and wineries, including Château de Beaucastel, Domaine Guigal, and Chapoutier, which are celebrated for producing exceptional wines that showcase the region's unique terroir and winemaking expertise.
The Rhône Valley is renowned for its red wines, particularly in the northern part of the region. Syrah reigns as the dominant grape variety, producing intense and structured wines. Appellations such as Côte-Rôtie, Hermitage, and Cornas are known for their robust and age-worthy reds, often displaying notes of black fruits, spice, and earthiness. Famous vineyards such as La Landonne, La Mouline, and Les Bessards are revered for their exceptional expressions of Syrah.
In the southern Rhône Valley, Grenache takes centre stage, contributing to the region's bold and fruit-forward red blends. The renowned appellation of Châteauneuf-du-Pape is famous for its rich and full-bodied red wines, often featuring a blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre. Vineyards like Château de Beaucastel, Clos des Papes, and Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe produce remarkable wines that showcase the region's commitment to excellence.
The Rhône Valley is also celebrated for its white wines, particularly in the northern part of the region. Viognier, Marsanne, and Roussanne are the key grape varieties, producing aromatic and complex whites. Appellations like Condrieu and Hermitage produce exceptional white wines known for their floral aromas, stone fruit flavors, and vibrant acidity.
Rhône
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Rhone | 1 | 100 (JD) | HK$6,120.00 | |||||
Jeb Dunnuck (100)I was blown away by the 2020 Ermitage Le Méal Blanc, which is certainly the finest vintage of this cuvée I’ve tasted. From the pure south-facing Méal lieu-dit (which is the warmest terroir on Hermitage), it was vinified and aged 70% demi-muids (10% new) and 30% in stainless steel. Straight-up heavenly notes of white currants, powdered rock, celery seed, honeysuckle, and toasted almonds all define the bouquet, and it’s full-bodied and concentrated on the palate, with that rare mix of richness and freshness. Hermitage Blanc doesn’t get any better. I love this today, yet it will certainly benefit from a year or two of bottle age, drink well for 3-5 years, at which point, it’s probably best to wait until a solid 15 years after the vintage. |
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Rhone | 1 | - | HK$6,630.00 | |||||
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Rhone | 1 | 99 (DC) | HK$9,760.00 | |||||
Decanter (99)Rhône 2022 white wine of the vintage. Decidedly rich in style, the oak is quite marked, with roasted pineapple notes, lemon verbena and lemon thyme. Very full-bodied, this is massive, assertive and powerful, but with great freshness and energy. Flinty, smoky elements and a long, salty, mineral finish. One for the ages. Pure Marsanne, vines are over 50 years old, planted on pebbles, clay and some loess, facing south. Whole-bunch pressed, half fermented in demi-muids, half in vats. |
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Rhone | 10 | 93 (WA) | HK$2,760.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (93)The 1993 Le Pavilion is the Hermitage of the Vintage. More austere than when I tasted it prior to bottling, it is one of the few 1993s with a sweet inner core of fruit, as well as a dense ruby/purple color, outstanding concentration and extract, and huge tannin in the finish. It is a harder style of Le Pavilion than the 1992, but it should turn out to be a 40- to 50-year wine. Last tasted 6/96. |
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Rhone | 1 | 93 (WA) | HK$14,605.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (93)The 1993 Le Pavilion is the Hermitage of the Vintage. More austere than when I tasted it prior to bottling, it is one of the few 1993s with a sweet inner core of fruit, as well as a dense ruby/purple color, outstanding concentration and extract, and huge tannin in the finish. It is a harder style of Le Pavilion than the 1992, but it should turn out to be a 40- to 50-year wine. Last tasted 6/96. |
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Rhone | 1 | 96 (WA) | HK$4,900.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (96)The 1994 Le Pavilion is a blockbuster, phenomenally concentrated wine. Le Pavilion is generally among the top three or four wines of France in every vintage! The 1994's opaque purple color, and wonderfully sweet, pure nose of cassis and other black fruits intertwined with minerals, are followed by a wine of profound richness, great complexity, and full body. It is almost the essence of blackberries and cassis. There is huge tannin in this monster Hermitage, that somehow manages to keep its balance and elegance. Made from a parcel of vines (which I have walked through), some of which predate the phylloxera epidemic, the 1994 Ermitage Le Pavilion should be purchased only by those who are willing to invest 10-12 years of cellaring. It will not reach full maturity before the end of the first decade of the next century, after which it will last for 30 + years. Last tasted 6/96. |
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Rhone | 2 | 96 (WA) | HK$15,203.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (96)The prodigious 1999 Ermitage Le Pavillon boasts creme de cassis aromatics intermixed with unmistakable aromas of ink. It is full-bodied and fabulously concentrated as well as powerful, with a finish that lasts for fifty seconds. This saturated black/purple-colored 1999 exhibits remarkable symmetry, purity, and overall massive size all juxtaposed with a sense of elegance and restraint. It is a monumental achievement, but ultimately is less successful than the great 1998 or 2000. |
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Rhone | 1 | 98 (WA) | HK$29,035.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (98)Year in and year out, one of the three greatest Hermitages made is Chapoutier’s Le Pavillon. The black/blue-colored 2000 Ermitage Le Pavillon is brilliant out of bottle. Notes of graphite, ink, licorice, creme de cassis, and minerals jump from the glass of this syrup of Hermitage. Full-bodied, unctuously-textured, gorgeously rich, spectacularly concentrated and long, it is a tour de force in winemaking. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2040. (I disagree, but Michel Chapoutier feels his finest three Le Pavillons to date have been 1991 followed by 1995 and 2000. I retain a preference for the glorious trilogy of 1989, 1990, and 1991.) |
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Rhone | 1 | 95 (VN) | HK$13,272.00 | |||||
Vinous (95)Saturated red-ruby. Explosive, superripe aromas of black raspberry, boysenberry, black olive tapenade, licorice, coffee and smoked meat. Wonderfully opulent and voluptuous in the mouth, with a texture like liquid silk. Coats your mouth, cheeks and whatever other surfaces it can find. Finishes with extraordinarily fine tannins and great sweetness and persistence. The best bottle of Pavillon I've tasted in at least a decade. |
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Rhone | 1 | 100 (WA) | HK$14,000.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (100)Even better, and topping out on my scale, the 2003 Ermitage le Pavillon comes all from the granite soils of the Les Bessards lieu-dit and was aged 100% in new barrels. Its inky ruby/black color is followed by off the hook aromas and flavors of plum, creme de cassis, licorice, crushed rocks and violet/incense-like qualities. This gives way to a full-bodied, dense, seamless and textured 2003 that has building tannin, awesome concentration and a blockbuster finish. Drink it anytime over the coming two decades, although, as with the Le Meal, it’s gorgeous now. |
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Rhone | 1 | 100 (WA) | HK$16,015.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (100)My favorite of the 2005s from Chapoutier, the 2005 Ermitage Le Pavillon is a heavenly wine that comes from one of the greatest sites for Syrah in the world, the steep, granite-dominated hillside of les Bessards. Getting a bevy of expletives in my notes, this insanely good Hermitage offers classic notes of smoked meats, charcoal, liquid rock, burning embers, chocolate and cassis, as well as a thick, unctuous and massively concentrated style on the palate. Changing in the glass, with exotic aromatics, incredible purity and building, polished tannin, Syrah doesn’t get any better. Given the youthful profile here, I’m sure this will see its 50th birthday in fine form, but it still delivers plenty of pleasure today given its texture, purity and balance. |
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Rhone | 2 | 93 (WA) | HK$6,510.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (93)The most concentrated 2008 Ermitage is Le Pavillon (915 cases). Backward as well as elegant, it offers up scents of blueberries, blackberries, camphor, black truffles and earth. The wine is medium to full-bodied, moderately tannic and, atypically, capable of lasting 20-25+ years. |
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Rhone | 1 | 100 (WA) | HK$17,155.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (100)A perfect wine, the 2009 Ermitage Le Pavillon (1,093 cases) boasts a black/purple color as well as an extraordinary bouquet of acacia flowers, blackberries, blueberries, roasted meats, creme de cassis, truffles, graphite, powdered rock and new saddle leather. Extremely dense, noble and pure, this monumental Ermitage is built for 50-100 years of cellaring. |
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Rhone | 2 | 100 (WA) | HK$13,020.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (100)Even better and a prodigious effort that hits all my sweet spots, the 2011 Ermitage Le Pavillon comes from one of the top terroirs on Hermitage hill, the granite soils of the Les Bessards lieu-dit. Spectacularly perfumed, with raspberry, blackberry, licorice, toasted spices and assorted floral nuances, this full-bodied effort has massive depth and richness, no hard edges and masses of finely polished tannin that emerge on and frame the finish. It will be approachable at an earlier age than either the 2009 or 2010, yet should nevertheless have 2-3 decades of ultimate longevity. |
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Rhone | 1 | 100 (WA) | HK$10,270.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (100)Sharing some similarities to the le Meal (yet its from a very different terroir), with its full-bodied, decadent, heavenly profile that somehow stays pure, poised and elegant, the 2012 Ermitage le Pavillon (767 cases) offers an extraordinary perfume of cassis, raspberries, crushed flowers, powdered rock and smoked earth. Coming all from the granite soils of the les Bessards lieu-dit, which produces some of the most muscular, concentrated wines on the planet, this serious 2012 is more approachable than either the 2009 or 2010, yet certainly is at the same level of quality. Give it 6-7 years in the cellar and enjoy it through 2042. |
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Rhone | 1 | 98+ (WA) | HK$6,950.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (98+)The star of the show in 2013 is the 2013 Ermitage le Pavillon. Coming from the west and eastern edges of the Bessards lieu-dit and aged in 30% new French oak, its sensational black/blue color is followed by the awesome bouquet of cassis, smoked earth, graphite and caramelized meats that could come from no other terroir in the world. Full-bodied, massive, dense, sexy and with a liquid rock-like character that comes out with time in the glass, it has sweet tannin and a blockbuster finish that keeps you coming back to the glass. It needs 5-6 years of cellaring and will have 30-40 years of more of ultimate longevity. |
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Rhone | 1 | 98 (DC) | HK$6,775.00 | |||||
Decanter (98)So sultry and spicy, this wine gives more and more as it sits in the glass. Smoky aromas like dying cinders mix with seared meat and sun-dried herbs in a deep, savoury expression. There's good depth of fruit, but it's dark and mixed with flecks of graphite and pencil shavings. The tannins are ever-present, but they're fine, sooty and delicate. |
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Rhone | 1 | 100 (JD) | HK$15,140.00 | |||||
Jeb Dunnuck (100)Another perfect wine, the 2015 Ermitage Le Pavillon comes from the Bessards lieu-dit on Hermitage, which is pure granite soils. I've said it before, but will say it again, this is unquestionably the finest, most singular vineyard for Syrah in the world. Cassis, graphite, smoked herbs, liquid rocks and violet aromas give way to a huge, concentrated, opulent and off-the-charts beauty that just hints at its ultimate potential. I wouldn’t think about opening bottles for at least a decade, after which it will keep for 4-5 decades. |
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Rhone | 1 | 100 (WA) | HK$10,500.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (100)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. |
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Rhone | 1 | 100 (JD) | HK$11,535.00 | |||||
Jeb Dunnuck (100)The inky colored 2017 Ermitage Le Pavillon comes from the biggest, baddest part of Hermitage and was brought up all in 20-25% new French oak barrels. Huge crème de cassis, crushed flowers, graphite, and liquid rock notes all dominate the bouquet, and this massively rich, powerful, yet pure and classic Hermitage builds incrementally on the palate, has a wealth of tannins, flawless balance, and a great finish. Showing the sexy, expressive style of the vintage, it has some upfront charm, yet I suspect it will close down (as has the 2015) with a few years of bottle age and require a decade or more of cellaring. There are just 894 cases of this magical elixir. |
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Rhone | 1 | 96-98 (VN) | HK$2,260.00 | |||||
Vinous (96-98)Suave, mineral- and spice-accented aromas of blackberry, cherry liqueur and pungent flowers show superb clarity and energetic lift. Sappy and penetrating in the mouth, displaying sharply defined black/blue fruit, violet pastille and spicecake flavors that turn livelier as the wine opens up. Finishes extremely long and minerally, with intense, spicy thrust, a repeating floral note and gently chewy tannins. |
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Rhone | 3 | 96-98 (VN) | HK$8,255.00 | |||||
Vinous (96-98)Suave, mineral- and spice-accented aromas of blackberry, cherry liqueur and pungent flowers show superb clarity and energetic lift. Sappy and penetrating in the mouth, displaying sharply defined black/blue fruit, violet pastille and spicecake flavors that turn livelier as the wine opens up. Finishes extremely long and minerally, with intense, spicy thrust, a repeating floral note and gently chewy tannins. |
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Rhone | 2 | 100 (JD) | HK$10,005.00 | |||||
Jeb Dunnuck (100)The star of the show as well as one of the wines of this great vintage, the 2019 Ermitage Le Pavillon comes all from broken granite soils of the Bessards lieu-dit and was all destemmed, vinified in concrete tanks, and brought up in just 15% new French oak, with a tiny amount in a small foudre as well. The level of new oak continues to plummet at this estate, which around a decade ago or more was utilizing 100% new barrels. Full-bodied, concentrated, and powerful, it’s a perfect example of the Iron Fist in a Velvet Glove saying and has incredible opulence paired with precision and finesse. Giving up both blue and black fruits as well as powdered stone, violets, scorched earth, and subtle smoke, this is pure Hermitage magic and Syrah doesn’t get any better. It needs at least 7-8 years (a decade would be better) of bottle age and will be a 50-year wine. |
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