2010 Ermitage Ex-voto rouge Guigal

Founded in the small Côte-Rôtie village of Ampuis by Etienne Guigal in 1946, E.Guigal is one of the Rhône valley's best known producers. Ever keen to improve and develop, the estate began making its own barrels in 2003, and it now makes up to 850 each year. Produced only in the best vintages, the grapes for the Ex-Voto are sourced from some of the steepest slopes in Hermitage, from vines between 40 and 90 years old. The wine is aged for 42 months in new oak before release. Christian Honorez: Lots of sweetness from the very ripe fruit but also from the elevage. Oak and coconut notes first; firm structure needing a long time to integrate. A modern style that will reward long ageing. Tanguy Martin: Evolution marked on the nose with a hint of dry ash and cigar box. Full, generous and charming with excellent balance of oak and fruits. Has a long life ahead. Matt Walls: Great tannic grip, with marked oak on the nose and palate, strong clove element to the fruit. Very grippy, very persistent tannic squeeze that grips the fruit. Very long - will be good when it's ready.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, the 2010 Hermitage Ex Voto is as good as it gets. Following some of the most concentrated, rich Cote Roties ever made, it still ratcheted up the concentration level with its massive, palate saturating levels of gamey dark fruits, cassis, licorice, chocolate, graphite and powdered rock. It this beauty doesn't make fireworks go off in your head, I don't know what will. Full-bodied, deeply concentrated and structured, yet also fine, elegant and delineated, it is nothing short of incredible. Give this awesome Hermitage 5-6 years in the cellar and feel free to drink it anytime over the following 4-5 decades.

Inky purple. A wild, highly perfumed bouquet evokes ripe black and blue fruits, incense, olive paste and smoky minerals. Sweet, penetrating and pure, offering palate-staining boysenberry and cassis flavors and suggestions of candied licorice and fruitcake. Densely packed yet lively, finishing with remarkable power and smooth tannins that add shape and grip. - Josh Raynolds

This has lavish range, with intense steeped plum, anise, pain d'épices, singed apple wood and fruitcake notes layered together, framed by smoldering charcoal and sweet tobacco accents and riveted to a tarry spine. Expands like a fractal in the glass to display enormous depth and length. Features mouthwatering cut from start to finish despite the heft. An extremely impressive wine that will need some time to stretch out fully. Best from 2018 through 2040. From France.-J.M.

Klæbrigt moden og alligevel frisk, ondsindet i overført betydning, sur og vred, vender ryggen til og stiller sig i en krog, kommer straks på andre tanker og vender sig rundt, løber os i møde med udbredte arme og blomster på tøjet, frivol og saftig - vel er den god, men også fuld af fad.