M. Chapoutier, Ermitage, Le Pavillon 2014

So sultry and spicy, this wine gives more and more as it sits in the glass. Smoky aromas like dying cinders mix with seared meat and sun-dried herbs in a deep, savoury expression. There's good depth of fruit, but it's dark and mixed with flecks of graphite and pencil shavings. The tannins are ever-present, but they're fine, sooty and delicate.

Made from 65 year old vines on the granitic Bessards section of Hermitage. Some very assertive red plum, red nectarine and orange zest. There is a wealth of spice and dark mineral-flecked interest. The palate is extremely supple and smooth with attractive, fine-cut tannins. A long, plush and very polished dark plum stone finish. Drink 2020 and beyond.

The 2014 Ermitage le Pavillon is another wine from this team that defies the vintage. Full-bodied, concentrated, impeccably balanced and seamless, with classic notes of crushed rocks, graphite, cassis and blackcurrants, it hits the palate with no hard edges, has a great mid-palate and possesses sweet tannin. Michel commented that this wine reminded him of the 1982, and while it offers pleasure even today, it won't hit maturity for another decade.

The 2014 Ermitage Le Pavillon isn’t quite ready for action just yet. Time in the glass unlocks pronounced graphite, cured meat, cigar box and blackcurrant aromatics. Taut and precise, the full-bodied 2014 is enveloped by fine-grained tannins and shines with class and nobility. Refined and concentrated, it winds down with focus and persistence on the spiced finish. Allow it two more years in a cool cellar before pulling the cork.