The 1997 Hermitage Eremites is an impressively-endowed dark ruby/purple-colored wine with copious quantities of sweet black currant fruit intermixed with notes of coffee, tar, and earth. This wine is dense, full-bodied, and outstanding in all aspects. Look for the 1997 Hermitage Eremites to age well for two decades. Importers: Bacchus Importers, tel. (410) 633-0400, Stacole Imports, Boca Raton, FL; tel. (561) 998-0029; Martin Scott Wines Ltd., Little Neck, NY; Ventures in Wine, Daly City, CA; Atlantic Importing Co., Newton, MA; Fine Vines, Maywood, IL and all the importers representing the selections of French broker, Patrick Lesec (Paris fax # 011 33 1 44 70 62 93)

The 1996 Hermitage Cuvee L'Hermite comes from five vineyards in 1996 - Le Meal, Les Rocoules, L'Hermite, Beaumes, and Les Diognieres. It is a medium to full-bodied, cassis-scented and flavored wine offering a classic yet rare combination of both power and elegance. Although it does not have the extraordinary density, weight, and power of the two 1995 cuvees, both of those wines put on significant weight and several layers of texture during their cask aging, and I would not be surprised to see this wine improve. Readers should note that the acidity in the 1996 is slightly more noticeable than in the 1995s. The 1996 L'Hermite requires 5-7 years of cellaring; it will age well for a minimum of two decades. As a postscript, readers should be aware that all the Tardieu-Laurent wines reviewed in this segment are very reasonably priced. A Patrick Lesec Selection (Paris fax # 011 33 1 42843822), various American importers

Two wines that were performing better out of bottle than they did from cask include the two cuvees of 1995 Hermitage. The 1995 Hermitage Cuvee L'Hermite is made in microscopic amounts from old vines grown on the largest hill of Hermitage in a vineyard called L'Hermite. To that is added a small dollop of wine from a tiny old vine parcel in Rocoules. The wine boasts an opaque purple color, and a dense, sweet nose of cassis fruit. It reveals extraordinary finesse for its massive size, and great purity, ripeness, and overall equilibrium. A fabulously concentrated wine with well-integrated acidity and tannin, it will be at its best in 5-7 years, and keep for 20+. As a postscript, readers should be aware that all the Tardieu-Laurent wines reviewed in this segment are very reasonably priced. A Patrick Lesec Selection (Paris fax # 011 33 1 42843822), various American importers