The 2011 Hermitage Blanc from Maison Nicolas Perrin is a full-bodied and luscious white wine, displaying a golden color with notable depth and fatness. It features a complex nose with aromas of candied fruit, ripe tangerine, poached pear, smoky minerals, and gingery spices. On the palate, it is rich and weighty yet energetic, offering flavors of bitter citrus pith, orchard fruit, stone fruit, subtle oak, citrus notes, and hints of anise, toasted nuts, salted butter, creamed melon, mango, peach, and acacia. The wine is somewhat neutral in overall flavor profile but has a creamy mouthfeel, chewy texture, and a long finish with touches of mocha, flamed orange peel, good clarity, and spicy persistence. This vintage offers plenty of fruit, freshness, and body, with a full mouth and great length, reflecting a year with a hot spring and early flowering followed by a relatively cold and wet summer.

Food Pairings

• Poultry such as chicken and turkey
• Veal rump with parsnip mousse and fresh broad beans
• Fish tagine with chermoula and preserved lemon (Moroccan style)
• Vegetable tagine with harissa (Moroccan style)
• Mimolette cheese (French)

Critics Reviews

• Wine Spectator: 93/100 (October 2013) – “This cuts a broad swath, with salted butter, creamed melon, mango, peach and acacia notes all gliding along, offering a creamy mouthful and a lovely, lilting finish.”

• Vinous (Josh Raynolds): 92/100 – “Light gold. Ripe tangerine and poached pear aromas are complicated by smoky minerals and gingery spices. Rich and weighty but energetic as well, offering bitter citrus pith and orchard fruit flavors, a hint of anise and a chewy texture. Finishes with good clarity and spicy persistence.”

• Wine Enthusiast: 91/100 (January 2014) – “This wine contains a rather high (for Hermitage) Roussanne in the blend (the balance is Marsanne). It’s full bodied and luscious on the palate yet somewhat neutral in flavor. Fleeting hints of toasted nuts and stone fruit on the nose are followed by subtle oak and citrus notes, while the long finish features touches of mocha and flamed orange peel.”Overall critic average: 91/100 from 4 scores in the 90-94 range.

Drink Window

Ready to drink now (as of 2026), with the potential to develop aromas of dried fruit if kept a few more years. Suggested window based on similar vintages: 2013-2021. Note that white Hermitage wines like this can age well due to the Marsanne-Roussanne blend, but the 2011 vintage is considered good and currently in a mature, drinkable condition.

Serving Temperature

12-13°C (decant for one hour beforehand).