2017 Ermitage Rouge, Ex Voto, E. Guigal, Rhône

The 2017 Ermitage Ex Voto is sturdy, rich and intense, even for Hermitage. Crushed stone and plum notes mark the nose, while the full-bodied palate is tannic and dusty in feel, ending on additional notes of crushed stone, pencil shavings and cassis. Give it a few more years in the cellar and drink it over the next decade or so.

Drink 2025 - 2040

The 2017 Ermitage Ex Voto shows the sunny, sexy side of the vintage yet backs it up with a dense, concentrated style. Ripe black fruits, smoked earth, toasted bread, and exotic spice all define the bouquet, and it’s full-bodied, structured, and powerful on the palate. Like most 2017s, it’s going to have some early accessibility due to the wealth of fruit, yet it’s going to benefit from 5-7 years of bottle age.

Exotic, this ripples with warm, well-steeped boysenberry, blackberry and fig fruit flavors infused with notes of dark tea, singed alder and juniper and wild herbs. All the components move in lockstep, and there are lots of components between the fruit, aromatics and extroverted oak treatment, as well as the serious tug of dark earth at the very end, all wrapped in a cashmere texture. Best from 2025 through 2040. 300 cases made.