Chapoutier Ermitage Le Méal blanc 2016

Wineadvocate

The 2016 Ermitage le Meal Blanc is all Marsanne and all power, with ample weight and richness on the full-bodied palate. Grilled melon and tangerine flavors are big, bold and round yet balanced by a hint of bitterness on the finish. It should drink well for two decades or more.

Vinous

Vivid gold. Powerful, mineral-tinged Meyer lemon, nectarine and pear nectar scents show excellent clarity and complicating honey, fennel and smoky lees accents. Vibrant and expansive in the mouth, offering deeply concentrated orchard and pit fruit flavors

Dunnuck

Similarly colored, the 2016 Ermitage Le Méal Blanc comes from a warmer terroir of pebbly and more loess soils and was brought up in 10% new demi-muids. It's a bigger, richer wine than the de l’Orée and boasts rocking notes of honeyed citrus, orange marmalade, baking spices, and licorice. Rich, powerful, and layered on the palate, it's another rocking white from this team that will drink nicely for two decades or more.