2018 Domaine Jean Louis Chave Crozes Hermitage Silene

(93 points) Inky ruby. Pungent, mineral-accented black and blue fruit qualities on the nose, along with hints of olive, licorice and peony that build in the glass. Supple and weighty on the palate, offering expansive blackberry and boysenberry flavors that become firmer with air. The floral note comes back strong on the penetrating finish, which shows outstanding persistence and fine-grained, well-knit tannins. 60% of this fruit was sourced from the granitic soils and steep slopes in the northern sector of the appellation and the other 40% came from the south, where the soils are lighter, based mostly on limestone clay and covered in large alluvial stones and smaller river rocks. Vinous 042020