Hermitage Rouge “Le Rouet” 2013 93 W&S Feb16

…An impressively elegant take on this sunny granite hillside. Pulled from 60-year-old vines in Le Méal and Les Greffieux, with three percent roussanne in the blend, it’s dark and elegant, the meaty plum fruit lifted on a wave of sweet florals and tangy red berry flavor and held there, weightless and transparent. It lasts, feeling quintessentially French, earthy and elegant at once. – T.T.