Hermitage Blanc 'Les Diognieres'

Score

95

"Relatively pale for a white Hermitage. Plenty of interest on the nose: fresh pear, a touch of vanilla pod and white flowers. Full-bodied but only just, quite upright and saline, some tension on the mid-palate and finish. Finishes dry, with hazelnut and some noble bitterness. Acidity isn't high, but the wine doesn't feel unbalanced. Fresh and keen, which is surprising for the vintage. Not the longest or most concentrated for a Hermitage perhaps, but as a wine, it's undoubtedly excellent. A 0.18ha plot of 70-year-old Marsanne at the foot of the Hermitage slope. Malo completed, 10 months in barriques. 880 bottles made."