Jaboulet's 2017 Hermitage Blanc Le Chevalier de Sterimberg is approximately two-thirds Marsanne and one-third Roussanne. Subtle notes of crushed stone and pencil shavings frame honey, pineapple and baking spices, all wrapped around a tensile core of tangerine and lime. In a year when no La Chapelle Blanc is being made, this is the top white Hermitage from Jaboulet, and it's a beauty, with a silky texture and a long, mouthwatering finish.

Brought up just like the Crozes Hermitage Blanc, the 2017 Hermitage Le Chevalier De Sterimberg Blanc is a slightly more Marsanne-dominated effort that offers more minerality and well as reserved notes of spice citrus, crushed rocks, and hints of tangerine. Ultra-pure, seamless, and silky on the palate, it has a beautiful mid-palate as well as a great finish. Purity, freshness, and focus are the buzzwords here.

Limpid yellow-gold. Mineral-accented aromas of dried pear, lemon pith, succulent herbs and honey are given spicy lift by a gingery nuance. Chewy and sharply focused on the palate, offering densely packed orchard and pit fruit flavors and hints of chamomile and anise. The mineral note comes back strong on an impressively long, penetrating finish that shows fine definition and solid thrust.