92 Points | International Wine Cellar , March/April 2013

Bright ruby.  Heady aromas of blueberry, olive and incense, with a bright mineral topnote.  Elegant, seamless and precise, offering tangy black and blue fruit flavors and a touch of peppery spices.  Finishes with good back-end lift, gentle tannins and lingering sweetness.  Shows a finer grain and more finesse than the Offerus today.  Chave also showed me the 2008 Hermitage Blanc Blanche and 2008 Hermitage Farconnet; while the Blanche has put on weight and gained an intense, honeyed quality, the Farconnet has become tighter and more sharply focused,  The Blanche is delicious right now but I'd hold off opening my Farconnet for at least another couple of years.