E. Guigal Ermitage "Ex-Voto" Rouge

2012

Wine Advocate 96+: The 2012 Hermitage Ex Voto was bottled in January of this year and it’s a big, voluptuous beauty that’s loaded with fruit and texture. Crème de cassis, black raspberries, crushed rocks and a touch of beef blood all soar from the glass of this beauty, which hits the palate with a wealth of sweet fruit, building, ripe tannin and blockbuster length.

James Suckling 96: With richer, creamier and more spicy aromas, this has a very taut, composed and more reserved feel on the nose and palate than many. I love the fine and powdery tannin texture, the heaps of detail and the charming pepper and spice character. A compressed and elegant and more formal style of syrah. This is a very classy wine with great depth and elegance.

2015

Wine Advocate 96: Spicy, cedary and firm, the 2015 Ermitage Ex Voto is built tough, like the granite it comes from. Hints of pencil shavings and crushed stone accent mixed red and black fruit, picking up hints of licorice and pepper on the long, tannic finish. Give this another 5-6 years in the cellar, then drink it over the following decade and a half or so.

James Suckling 96: This is a very powerful, sweetly spiced and complex Hermitage with hung meat and very ripe dark berries, delivered amid iodine and dark stones, as well as a core of rich mulberries and blackberries. The palate has an extremely impressive and succulent feel with such intensity and deeply ripe, long, plush tannins. Gossamer smooth finish and long, rich dark-plum flavors.