M. Chapoutier Ermitage L'Ermite Blanc 2020

The 2020 Ermitage l'Ermite Blanc boasts subtle aromas of crushed stone and toasted grain, while the fruit is more citrus than pear or melon, with a hint of white peach. It's full-bodied but without the massive concentration of either the 2018 or 2019 vintages. Balanced, elegant, long and harmonious, it's again my pick of the whites, but it’s not quite as mind-blowing as the 2019.

Plenty of richness on the palate, and all the intense mineral facets you would expect from L'Ermite, both on the nose and the palate. Intensely fresh, driving, tense and salty. The oak is very present in this sample, but it's essentially well integrated. I love the steely, uncompromising texture of this wine, it's edginess just tempered by the glycerol softness. Very direct, long if not as long as some recent vintages. Aromatically this has abundant meadow flowers at this early stage. Drinking Window 2023 - 2052.