Jean-Louis Chave Sélection, "Farconnet" Hermitage, Rhône Valley, France, 2019

Overview of the Brand
Going back to 1481, when the first Jean-Louis Chave was gifted a vineyard in St Joseph by the nobleman Farconnet, 25 generations have farmed some of the best parcels in the Northern Rhône. Though now known as perhaps the best producer of Hermitage (and certainly among the best blenders in the world), the family only expanded to this famous hill during the mid-1800s wave of phylloxera that decimated Europe's vineyards. 

In the 1970s, when Gerard Chave took over from his father, the domaine rapidly achieved megastar status due to the extraordinary quality of his wines. Gerard's son Jean-Louis (25th of his name) now oversees the estate and has shown an ever expanding dedication to improving the already stunning quality of these rare wines. Jean-Louis Chave regularly dedicates the domaine to intense and exacting projects, the benefits of which will be seen by future generations. Indeed, the estate employs three full time stonemasons just to repair the traditional stone walls dotting the vineyards. 

Since the 1990s, Jean-Louis Chave has offered a second label known as 'J.L. Chave Sélection' that provides a glimpse of the reason for the estate's fame at a fraction of the price. Many of these wines are from declassified estate wine and long term farming contracts, and are vinified in the domaine's primary cellar in Mauves. 

Farconnet was the name of a nobleman back in the time of JeanLouis Chave’s great grandfather. He was actually the man from whom the great grandfather bought the Bessards parcel.

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Origin
Hermitage AOC, Rhône Valley, France

Grapes/Blend
Syrah

Winemaker's Tasting Notes
In classic Chave style this starts out with all of the cracked pepper, lavender and gamey notes Syrah in a perfect spot can give you. Then you find the lightness that sets Chave apart from the pack. Not that the weight is missing, it's just a delicate almost pinot like texture that only a master of their craft can execute. A wonderful wine that can easily gain complexity with a decade or so in the cellar. 

92 Points - Jeb Dunnuck
The 2019 Hermitage Farconnet comes from a mix of Péléat, Les Doignières, and Les Greffieux, and it was raised in used barrels. It has a classic Northern Rhône bouquet of ripe red and blackberry fruit as well as saddle leather, forest floor, ground pepper, and spring flowers. Needing a short decant, it's medium to full-bodied, has a supple, elegant mouthfeel, those classic Hermitage ultra-fine tannins, and a great finish. It's already drinking nicely yet has a solid 10-12 years of longevity ahead of it.

Product size: 750ml