Hermitage Cuvee Emilie blanc 2004 Domaine de Remizieres

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Robert Parker (91)

Opulent, thick, and juicy, the 2004 Hermitage Cuvee Emilie blanc has intense notes of acacia flowers, litchi, honeyed apricot, and oily citrus. The wine has admirable ripeness, full-bodied power, and a long, heady finish.

In 2003 Remizieres produced some extraordinarily thick, almost super-concentrated, over-the-top wines that were named Cuvee l’Essentiel for the Crozes-Hermitage and Hermitage. Readers should note that in 2004 the wine was renamed Patience, and in 2005 it’s called Autremonde.

Proprietor Philippe Desmeures, along with the Chave and Sorrel families, are among the very few small family operations still left in Hermitage. Hermitage, which only consists of just over 300 acres, is dominated by the large firms of Paul Jaboulet-Aine, Chapoutier, Delas, and Guigal, with very few small operations still in existence, but this is one of them. Desmeures has clearly moved into the more modern style of winemaking in the northern Rhone. In the richest vintages his aggressive new oak regime works well, but in the lighter years, it is a gamble. It needs 2-3 years to round into shape, and should age nicely for 10-12 years.

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