Paul Jaboulet Aine, Hermitage, Le Chevalier de Sterimberg 2021

Fragrant and super expressive on the nose, smells incredibly aromatic with white flowers and stone fruit. Crisp and filling on the palate, a gorgeous combination of spicy, mouth watering, zesty citrus and mineral touches - wet stone, slate, liquorice, clove, toast and lemon. Not so expansive, more linear and direct, quite tense with the flavours sticking to one line in the middle surrounded by a tight frame but there's complexity and concentration. Juicy, clean, long and tongue scraping. Feels well made. 3.30pH. Fermentation takes place in natural concrete eggs and a few demi-muids. Grapes come from 4 hectares farmed organically since 2016 and biodynamically since 2018. The first time this wine by Caroline Frey joins the Place de Bordeaux.

A white wine with distinction, complexity and a sense of place, this is absolutely one to look out for. The honeysuckle and white peach flavours steal up on you, building slowly but surely towards an outburst of lemon zest, pear and liqourice. Plenty of ageing ability on display. Winemaker and owner Caroline Frey, director Gregory Joannes-Hurst. A 4ha Domaine de la Chapelle estate making exceptional white wines, going through the Bordeaux negoicant system for the first time this year.

Fascinating nose that combines notes of white flowers with stone fruit and complex vegetal aromas. Both right and structured, this has a tone of wet stone minerality and wild herb freshness. Long complete finish with a wonderful silky texture. A cuvee of roughly two-thirds marsanne and one-third roussanne. Matured in a combination of concrete eggs and demi-muid oak casks. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.

The 2021 Hermitage Blanc Le Chevalier de Sterimberg is a varietal Marsanne using grapes from up to 35-year-old vines. Swirling the glass stirs up fragrant spring blossom, white peach, quince, lemon flesh and green apple aromatics. Offering crisp freshness and an elegant mouthfeel, the 2021 ends with good drive on the sapid finale.

Leading off the two Hermitage Blancs, the 2021 Hermitage Le Chevalier De Sterimberg is mostly Marsanne yet includes one-third Roussanne. It has a perfumed nose of honeyed grapefruit, crisp apple, and chalky minerality as well as a medium-bodied, bright, racy style on the palate. Reminiscent of an impressive Chablis, with bright acidity and a great finish, it should evolve for over a decade.

The 2021 Hermitage Le Chevalier de Sterimberg Blanc is 100% Marsanne, quite possibly for the first time ever. Marked by scents of crushed stone, citrus, pineapple and white peach, it's medium-bodied and definitely on the austere side. It's like it wants to be a CFE from Trimbach or something. It does show excellent freshness and length, so maybe it just needs a decade or more.