Chapoutier Hermitage Monier de la Sizeranne 2016

96 points Jeb Dunnuck: "The 2016 Hermitage Monier de La Sizeranne checks in as 100% Syrah that's from a multitude of terroirs on Hermitage, and it spent 16 months in 25% new French oak. It's the finest vintage of this cuvée I can remember and offers sensational notes of currants, blackberries, smoked earth, new saddle leather, and graphite. Just a classic Hermitage, with sweet tannins, a rounded, sumptuous texture, and a serious core of fruit, don't miss this beauty! It’s going to benefit from 4-5 years of bottle age and have 2-3 decades of prime drinking. (12/20/18)"

94 points Josh Raynolds (Vinous): "Bright violet. Highly perfumed black and blue fruit preserve, incense and baking spice aromas, along with hints of smoky minerals and olive paste. Silky, seamless and penetrating in the mouth, offering concentrated blackberry, boysenberry, violet pastille and spicecake flavors that become more energetic on the back half. Rich yet lively, finishing gently sweet and long, with harmonious tannins and repeating mineral and floral notes. Drink: 2025-2035. (Sep 2019)"

94 points Wine Enthusiast: "[$162 list] Initially closed and earthen, this classic Hermitage takes a bit of time and patience to open. Past the layers of smoke and granite, it reveals a core of intensely ripe, pure blackberry and cherry flavors. An intensely mineral, tightly tannic wine now, it should gain perfume and depth well through 2035 and hold much further. Alcohol 14%. (Jul 2020)"

93 points (16.5/20) La Revue du Vin de France: "Monier de la Sizeranne has a good wingspan and shines with finesse. (2019)"