An outrageous wine, the 2005 Hermitage Ex-Voto blanc boasts extraordinary pineapple, lychee nut, white peach, floral, crushed rock, and quince notes in its full-bodied, powerful, mouth-coating personality. A blend of 95% Marsanne and 5% Roussanne, it was aged in new oak for 18 months. Nine thousand bottles were produced in 2005. It will have at least three decades of evolution.While the entire world of wine knows how profound Guigal’s red wines are, they may not know that he continues to demonstrate a complete mastery of white wine varietals, from his lowly Cotes du Rhone blend of Roussanne, Marsanne, Viognier, Clairette, and Bourboulenc, to his seriously-endowed dry whites from the northern Rhone. There are two cuvees of white Hermitage. The luxury offering, Ex-Voto, comes from five acres of 90-year old Marsanne vines planted in two separate vineyards on Hermitage Hill - l’Ermite and Les Murets. As the following notes indicate, Guigal has set aside a number of barrels that could make up the 2007 Ex-Voto, but he is not yet sure the quality will be high enough as this must be a wine of great richness and complexity.Importer: Fred Ek and Patrick Will, Ex Cellars Wine Agencies, Solvang, CA; tel. (805) 686-9153