E. Guigal Ex-Voto Ermitage Rouge 2019

A barrel sample that just about made my eyes roll back in my head, the 2019 Ermitage Ex Voto has perfection written all over it. Full-bodied, deep, powerful, and structured, it has quintessential Hermitage notes of cassis, ground pepper, new leather, crushed stone, and violets. It brings lots of tannins and structure, but this has a beautiful buffer of ripe, concentrated fruit. If you’re lucky enough to get any of this, do your best to hide bottles for 7-8 years. Score – 97-100. (jebdunnuck.com, Feb. 16, 2022)