The 1995 white wines exhibit good fruit, excellent body, and considerable freshness and intensity. The biggest, richest, and most long-lived wine of the three wines reviewed will be the 1995 Hermitage Chevalier de Sterimberg. A 50% Roussanne/50% Marsanne blend fermented in 100% new French oak, this is a powerful, thick, dense, chewy wine. Look for it to close down over the next several years, and not re-emerge for a decade. These are remarkably long-lived wines that remain fairly priced because consumers rarely have the patience to wait for them to emerge from their closed states. This intense, honeyed Hermitage is very dry, muscular, and weighty. After declassifying most of their top cuvees in 1993 and producing 1994s that were sound, but generally uninspiring (several wines that have been re-reviewed in the following text are showing better), this hallowed firm just south of the village of Tain l'Hermitage has produced very high quality 1995s. That's good news for the many fans of Paul Jaboulet-Aine. Importer: Frederick Wildman, New York, NY; tel. (212) 355-0700
Published: Oct 31, 1996