2001 M. Chapoutier, Ermitage de l'Oree [Slightly Soiled Label]

The great American patriot and wine connoisseur Thomas Jefferson called Hermitage - the single greatest white wine of France. Slightly lower-keyed, but still prodigious, the 2001 Ermitage Cuvee de l'Oree does not possess the muscle, volume, or weight of the 2000, but it is a beautifully etched, elegant, intensely mineral wine offering hints of white flowers, citrus oils, and earth in its dense, full-bodied, chewy personality. Like its older sibling, it will be delicious in its first 3-4 years of life, then close down, to re-emerge 10-12 years later. It will last for three decades or more.
M. Chapoutier, Ermitage de l'Oree