Another wine drinking at maturity is the 2000 Ermitage le Meal. Offering up a fresh, nicely defined bouquet of dark fruits, gamy meats, pepper, mint and hints of olive, it's medium to full-bodied, nicely textured, supple and delicious. Like the 2001, it's drinking at point but should hold nicely for another decade.

The 2000 Ermitage Le Meal is better out of bottle than it was from cask. An opaque purple color is followed by a sumptuous nose of blackberry liqueur intermixed with ink, melted asphalt, camphor, and new saddle leather. Big, rich, broad, and expansive with a gorgeous texture as well as a 60-second finish, it is a full-bodied, opulent, surprisingly approachable offering. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2025. These uncompromising offerings from a young genius are not meant for consumers who want something to drink immediately. They are the essence of bio-dynamically farmed vineyard sites cropped incredibly low, given extended fermentations with indigenous yeasts, and rarely touched until they go into the bottle unfined and unfiltered. In most vintages, the wines are not even racked off their lees, which only adds to their natural style. These are truly remarkable wines, but for most readers, patience is the operative rule as they generally need a good 8-10 years to strut their stuff.Once moribund, over the last 12 years, this firm has become one of the reference points for nearly all the Rhone Valley appellations since the brash yet immensely talented Michel Chapoutier took over in the late eighties. The single vineyard offerings are as good as Rhone Valley wines can be. Moreover, Chapoutier continues to upgrade the quality of those wines offered in more significant quantities than the 500 or so cases each of the single vineyard offerings.Importer: Paterno Imports, Lake Bluff, IL; tel. (847) 604-8900

If the gorgeous notes of brown sugar, graham cracker and black pepper on the nose don’t reel you in, what’s in the mouth will. Its blackberry core is juicy without being overblown; black olives, earth, leather and even a little raspberry flesh out the flavor profile. Has a velourlike texture in the mouth; its tannins are soft enough to age well, but age it certainly needs—it’s showing restraint, and will need about 10 years to reach full bloom. Cellar Selection.——W.E.(9/1/2003)—— 96