E. Guigal Ermitage Ex Voto Rouge 2012 750ml

The 2012 Hermitage Ex Voto (which I suspect won’t be produced again until 2015) was bottled in January of this year and it’s a big, voluptuous beauty that’s loaded with fruit and texture. Crème de cassis, black raspberries, crushed rocks and a touch of beef blood all soar from the glass of this beauty, which hits the palate with a wealth of sweet fruit, building, ripe tannin and blockbuster length. Liquid Viagra would suffice as a descriptor for this wine, and while it’s already impossible to resist today, it will age effortlessly for 25 or more years.

• Country: France
• Region: Rhone Valley
• Appellation: Hermitage
• Size: 750ml
• Color: Red
• Alcohol by Vol: 14.0%

Varietal

Syrah

Known as Syrah in most countries around the world, and Shiraz in Australia and certain other regions of the New World, this grape varietal has proven over the centuries to be one of the most powerful and flavorful red wine grapes there is. It is now one of the planet’s most widely grown grapes, and is a favorite with wineries as a result of its robustness and versatility. It isn’t easy to identify many characteristics of this particular varietal, due to the fact that it is highly versatile and shows significant differences in flavor and character depending on the terroir it is grown in, and the climatic conditions of the region. However, Syrah is most widely associated with full bodied, strong and loud red wines, packed full of fruity and spicy flavors, held in a beautifully deep red liquid.