Chave's Hermitage is one of the great wines of the world.

His red Hermitage assumes a looming presence, but his white is simply profound. Today, we pay homage to Chave's extraordinary Hermitage Blanc.

As Jean-Louis Chave makes clear in a recent I'll Drink To That! interview, the initial renown for Hermitage was built on the white. Accordingly, almost all of the really old wines in Chave's cellar are white. There's no other dry white wine in the world that ages quite like Chave's Hermitage Blanc.

I mention this to situate just how epic, how important Chave's white is. It's a stand-alone wine. Its greatness, however, is complicated. It absolutely dominates the palate with indescribable layers, spellbinding nobility and a luxurious, dizzying, kaleidoscopic, mysterious depth.

An old bottle of Chave Blanc is one of my favorite wines in existence. And that's why I decided to offer a trio of vintages of Chave's Hermitage Blanc in magnum.

The 2011 is a wine that dramatizes the sheer grandeur of Chave Blanc. We recently opened a bottle and the entire staff was blown away. It was rich and dynamic. The 2012 is a dense and powerful vintage for the wine, flaunting all the layers and nuance the wine can possess. The 2013 is the highest acid and most lifted of the three. These show the amazing range the wines can cover.

Like Chave's Hermitage Rouge, the Blanc boasts Chave's brilliant blending skills. What results is an insane flavor spectrum of nectarine, peach, citrus oils, quince, marzipan, honey and flowers, balanced by great purity, elegance, minerality and freshness. It's head-spinning.

For me, Chave's Blanc demands a place in every collector's cellar. It's an incredible wine and a distance runner. Happy to offer.

To order, email offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463.

Ian McFadden

Director, Fine & Rare Wine
Crush Wine & Spirits

Chave Hermitage Blanc Magnums: 2011-2013