Incredible Value for Top Scoring Hermitage (96 for the 2015) - We Missed the 2018 As It Sold Out in a Week - Michelle Luyton Hermitage "Allegresse"

 The Hill of Hermitage Towers Over the Rhone Like Mount Olympus
 - These Are Revered Wines
 - They Normally Cost Hundreds / Thousands of Dollars
 - Luyton is a Fass Discovery 
 - The French Were Behind the Curve - No Longer
 - A Relatively New Producer That Leapt up the Quality Hierarchy with Her Stunning 2015s (and Has Stayed There in 2016-2019)
 - Prices Are Shockingly Low 
 - We Missed 18 As It Sold Out Instantly in France
 - This Will Be Gone Soon

2019 Michelle Luyton Hermitage "Allegresse"
 - An Affordable Taste of What the "Other Half" Drinks
 - Aromatics Are Almost Super Terroir
 - The Depth of Fruit is Unconscious
 - Nose: Pepper, Meaty, Leather, Earth and Herbal 
 - Deep, Deep Blackberry 
 - Structured with Incredible Length
 - Will Last 2-3 Decades
 - Only 280 Bottles Made
 - A Crazy Rare, High Quality Collectors' Item

 - The 2015 Got 96 Points -  Not Rated Since

"Like 2018, 2019 was a hot and dry year, but the wines look extremely promising and show an uncanny blend of depth and vivacity." - Josh Raynolds, Vinous

Summary

I don't sell much Hermitage. It's crazy expensive. And I try to sell wines that are great values. And, to be honest I have no idea how long Luyton's wines will be affordable.  Demand is increasing and prices are rising. Good for her.

This wine got 96 points in 2015.  The style is incredible - powerful and elegant. Burgundian and refined. Textured, soft and structured wines. She is making better wines now than ever

The long and the short of it is, if you want to stock up on Hermitage, I'd swing hard at this offer.  

 - 2019 is another great vintage and 

 - I don't know how long prices will be affordable.

The Story

I almost feel like a parent whose child showed promise at an early age and then grew up and graduated valedictorian from a top college.  When I met Michelle, her wines were beautifully elegant and I loved them.  They were incredible but they lacked the typical density of Hermitage.  In 2015, her wines started showing that typical Hermitage density while retaining her unique style.  What you get is the holy grail of winemaking: density and elegance in the same wine.  And the critics have taken notice. The 2015 Allegresse got 96 Points in 2015.

The value for these prices in Hermitage is almost preposterous. Hermitage is a tiny appellation and
demand is incredibly high.  They are some of the great wines of the world and recognized as such. 

Hermitage

The great hill of Hermitage is about as impressive and awe-inspiring as any great place in the world.  It could theoretically be the 8th wonder of the world. It as majestic as the great pyramids and as imposing as Mt. Everest and it's not getting any bigger. That is the allure of Hermitage. It is finite. It it also expensive.  Chave/Sorrel are but a few names that can attract rabid fan bases (and stratospheric prices). 

The main attraction today is the fourth vintage (first was 2015) of the 2019 Michelle Luyton Hermitage "Allegresse" for $82.99 a bottle for a 3-pack ($73.15 with tariff rebate*). This is very limited. She only made 280 bottles.

The 2015 got 96 points from Jeb Dunnuck. I think 2019 is similar. That's some neck breaking QPR there. This is ridiculous wine and a testament to the quality of 2019 in the Northern Rhone and specifically Hermitage. This is the best wine Michelle has ever made. This wine is rich. But so elegant. How can something this big be so hauntingly elegant is a question I kept asking Michelle the whole time. She had no answer. The depth of the fruit is unconscious.

The nose is peppery, meaty, leathery, earthy and herbal with deep, deep blackberry fruit and that extra thing aromatically in 2019 that I only find in the top wines. It's a special aroma that cannot be described. I've only found it in a handful of wines. This is one of them. Almost like a super terroir aroma if that makes sense. 

Peppery deep, deep fruit on the palate.  Structured, deep and insanely juicy and just so long. 

And the finish is massive. If there is a wine that can be light and heavy at the same time this is it. This is a monumental wine that is a testament to the vintage and especially the high quality in Hermitage. This is one you bury deep deep in the back of the cellar. But then open it in 10-15 years and go to a 2017 Hermitage tasting and blow people away. 

Below is Jeb's 96 Points score for the 2015, the 2019 was just bottled and he has not tasted it yet. It's at least a 96, likely more.

"The star of the show, the smoking good 2015 Hermitage Allegresse is also 100% Syrah, yet was brought up all in new oak. This inky beauty offers an incredibly rich, powerful, muscular style as well as tons of currants, liquid rock, graphite and scorched earth aromas and flavors. With huge richness, a rounded, expansive texture, and loads of tannin, it's one seriously impressive Hermitage that's going to blossom with 2-4 years of cellaring and keep for two to three decades."  96 Points Jeb Dunnuck (2015)

2019 Michelle Luyton Hermitage Allegresse - $84.99 ($248.97 3-pack)(*Including tariff of $9.84)