My bottles of this have been maddeningly variable. A bottle just over a year ago was excellent but is predecessor showed signs of premature age. This one was in between the two. At first, the sour cherry infused fruit was sharpened by varnish notes and the finish showed a touch of cabbage-like oxidation but both these elements receded as the wine opened up making for a very good drink but without the complexity and velvety texture of the best bottle.
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I must have gotten lucky with the bottle on the night because this wine was absolutely singing. I've made it a mission to drink more Northern Rhône wine this fall / winter and this bottle was a great example of why. The nose was multilayered and highly aromatic, going from notes of raspberries and florality to forest floor and smoke. The palette, though, was a joy as a fruitier upfront containing redcurrants and raspberries moved into notes of cassis, cedar and tobacco on the mid-palette. The finish was soft and elongated as licorice and earthier notes medlied together. I'm not sure how much better this wine is going to get going forward, but it was brilliant on the night.
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In a birthday tasting with l'Ermita 1997 and Haut Brion 1986 (1). Still a dark ruby core with amber rim. Aged nose verging on the barnyard side, but also with lots of sweet cherry and dark plums in addition to a steely tone. Medium to full bodied attack, quite heavy acidity up front and on the mid palate giving an almost tart impression before the wine fans out on the finish to display some fine cherry tone and an almost flowery lightness. Very long. A bit tart impression makes me wonder if this wine perhaps is a bit over the top. Drink now.
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This bottle was much better than my previous. Not a powerful Hermitage but harmonious and seamless showing complex and gracious but still fresh fruit in which some ripe griotte cherry was evident together with an infusion of grilled meat and fine minerals lying on a bed of some depth and roundness accompanied by velvety texture, fresh moreish acidity and a decently long finish reinforced with kirsch notes. Excellent.
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White pepper, cured meat, hung game, some shoe polish, a bit of smoky charcoal, evocative, animale, not at all heavy, rich or concentrated on the palate but quite relaxed, resolved and refined, it is fully mature; not a great vintage or rendition of HLC, but this fully mature example exhibits the full array of tertiary development, with the classic old school hermitage leitmotif, from arguably the smartest address in the northern Rhone; this arguably should be better, but is still really enjoyable. If you have any though drink up, over the next 2-3 years.
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I have been waiting for ages to try a La Chapelle, finally had my chance over the weekend.. I was hesitant to meet one of my heroes though!
It was a privilege to try this Northern Rhone 1996 vintage, a good year with a sunny harvest. Freshness and sweet red fruit with hints of earth and smoke.
The colour showed some slight brown bickering, an evolution of when it was densely black and purple in its youth. The cork and label on this bottle was beautifully preserved.
The nose is deceiving of a wine 26 years old, showing some rather fresh floral notes which was still somewhat muted.
The acidity is still quite high but in a pleasant way, and the tannins well rounded too.
The mushroom notes were very apparent in between the sweet red fruit layers, and I grew to like this over the 1.5 hours!
This was however lighter then I expected and I found it uncomplex, but that's likely due to my palate processing 10 wines!
6th of 7 bottles.. @iampatt0 kept spoiling us with bottle after bottle, thank you!
PJ, Malaysia - 10 Sep 2022
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CV1. Generous fully mature bouquet, mushrooms, forest floor and more. Harmonious palate, lT, hA, mB, surprisingly well balanced, elegant, ethereal, elegant finish. Drink now but the acidity will probably preserve it. 90p. +One week, DnP: what a surprise. This has certainly gained from decanting. Much fresher appearance, the musty element is replaced by dark fruits and now the bouquet is in perfect balance. Score raised to 93p.
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This is a rather acidic Hermitage and as poor as the vintage is know for being.
Not great on the nose. Some dirt and Brett, but also with a small serving of oxidization. However, in the mouth, the unripe berries that this reminds me of, are still quite delicious. Almost no tannic structure, but the acids roam these lands. M- body and rather short. Still upholds a decent intensity. Superbly Syrah typical, but a little more Napaesque than Hermitagian.
For the current going market price? Ha Ha Ha ! ! ! It's a joke :-) You can buy supermarket Chiantis at a fraction of the investment and arrive with better wines.
Nevertheless, I'm happy to open up this year's birthday celebration week with this wine. Only uphill from here ;-)
For hoarders: his will keep long, especially if you are not overly sensitive regarding oxidized notes.
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There was no need to guess old vs new world; this was simply old. Decrepit. Senile and worn out. Probably cooked at some time. It's been taking up space in my cellar for 15 years. Maybe an old WineCommune purchase. Anyway, F' off and good riddance. Don't let the door hit you on the ass.
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Fully mature, brown bricking color. Complex stewed fruit, earthy and mushroom flavors balanced by ample acidity to keep it fresh. Lighter body but good concentration of flavors. Medium to long finish.
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Quite evolved in colour, slightly barnyardy, "dirty" on the nose, notes of spices, herbs, cherry fruit, horse sweat. On the palate pretty thin and drying, acidity sticking out a little. Still quite elegant and vibrant, just lacking a bit of richness and power. Good length. Drink up. 90-92
Medium light body. A little va on the nose. Still some dark plummy fruit but showing plenty of development too.pretty good to drink now, but unlikely to improve. This was ex domaine few years back and in fairly good shape compared to others by the sound of it
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this was drunk alongside the 1995 and both were very disappointing - the poorer of the two, this was thin and the fruit pretty much gone - not worth drinking and not rated
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Very interesting that my experience differs so broadly with other recent notes. This bottle was bought on release and cellared since. Simply terrific - the best of this vintage I have tasted. The nose is loaded with mushroom, dark plums and earth. Rugged, meaty and mineral. The fruit is sweet which really adds to the complexity. The color is deep garnet - so surprised to hear that other bottles are over the hill. Past bottles I have tasted have been young and broading. This is lovely. The palate suggests peak maturity with dark fruits, ash, southern herbs. Medium bodied with lots of depth. Maybe missing a tad on the finish - but just a tad. The finish keeps it from a classic score but man is this good. I feel lucky to have a bottle like this considering the other notes. (94)
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Hmmm…not sure. Surprisingly high 13.5 a/c is the first thing you notice. Colour is good it clear but not as wine dark as chapelle can be; my sense is that the fruit is a bit on the thin side and the heat a bit too much to be either representative or classic .
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Jaboulet no doubt is returning with a vengeance in the last vintages but this is not one of the finer efforts. The wine is still intact, but with significant signs of decay, that can be charming, but in this case is not. 98 is miles better than the 96.
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Nicely stored bottled. Great fill. Color was appropriate if not darker than expected. Nose is subtle with dried cherries, smoke, wet tobacco leaves and black pepper. The palate is not too shabby but tannins have fully resolved and fruit is scant but the acidity remains. Still enjoyable. I am not afraid to say this is a finesse wine and not just a cop out for weakness. There is subtle goodness here, but not greatness. Drink now.
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Alex and William's Birthday Dinner (Tonny Restaurant, Geylang Lor 3, Singapore): This wine has been wildly inconsistent for me over the years, ranging from meh, to pretty good. This was one of the poorer bottles. Good, but not great, a bit tired and funky, even if it was still quite a decent wine overall. The nose certainly smelt older than the wine was - with notes of balsamic and damp leaves and earth swirling around a slightly sweeter core of cooked cherries and dark berries, with some roasted meat, then gentle notes of spice and boiled herbs running on behind. The palate was decent enough, but far from world-beating, with a spine of fine-boned tannins and very bright, almost citrus acidity running through rather lean notes of blueberries and cassis traced with a little streak of minerality. The finish had a bit of a bittersweet twang to it, with some brush herb and bramble along with a bit of peppery spice trailing away. Pleasant flavours, speaking fairly eloquently of La Chapelle, but altogether lacking a bit of conviction.
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What a great wine. Decanted for nearly 2 hours. Showed stewed dark fruit and some spice on the nose. Integrated tannins let you know they were there but didn’t distract from the aged Syrah with its dark fruit and forest flavors. Had a note of black pepper in the back ground too. Very nice.
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Garnet, red brick. Very funky on opening, wild animal fur. Brett? Dark fruits, wood smoke, iron, cured meats. tannins well resolved, plenty acidity. Enjoyable enough but something lurking in the undergrowth with this bottle.
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Like many older hermitages this is not in your face but rather slips easily across your palate showing almost textbook gun flint and sour, but balanced tannins giving it a sense of tension and excitement. There’s enough fruit however to keep it all enjoyable. With the more fruity and less acidic styles of hermitage coming in now it’s nice to drink a bottle they shows the older 90s profile. I’ll be curious to see how the highly rated 2016 is.
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Great vintage showing a delicate balance between the finesse of a matured rouge versus the vigor of a younger, fruit forward vintage. The wine is complex, perfumed and very seductive. Notes of ripened dark plums, liquored cherries, jammy strawberries, smoked meat and tobacco. On the palate it’s plush and round, with medium+ acidity and alcohol. Long finish, and very well balanced. I am greatly impressed.
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A wine of quiet and understated elegance and refinement. Some significant bottle variations, see my last note, but this one my last sadly hit all the right notes. And as always the ancien régime labels are a delight to see.
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Brick hue showing its age. Complex nose: initially very ripe fruit dominates with plum and blackberry, soon evolving to tertiary notes "wet dog", cedar, tobacco. On the palate, this wine takes a step back. Much more restraint, still complex but the acidity takes over. Still some tannins left, some smokiness and less full-bodied than expected. Long finish. Good wine but misses something to be really amazing. Does not live up to its reputation but enjoyable never the less.
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Wraysbury dinner (Home): Full garnet. A sweet, decaying pruned nose with Burgundian levels of sous bois and a healthy dose of VA. Could be Musar. No, there’s something wrong with this. A sense of maderisation coupled with VA and goodness knows what.
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Très grande bouteille a son apogée les arômes sont complexes offrant des fruits noir, du lard fumée, du pruneau... en bouche le gôut change à chaque gorgée la matière est soyeuse, puissante, élégante et très long les tannins sont parfaitement intégrés Un très grand vin
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Bought 6 bottles on release, put them in cellar and forgot about them. This is the first bottle I've opened. I was concerned by recent, less than flattering, notes but this bottle was spot on. It was pure and fresh. Not terribly complex but an elegant/seductive nose and moderate richness on the palate. Better than I'd anticipated (always a wonderful surprise)!
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Wine had funk on opening, sort of a tin menthol smell. It seemed rather light and lacking focus. But as it stayed in the glass and aired, this became a rather large brute of a wine. It showed La Chapelle with the liquid granite and fruit I so often find. It was not weak or thin and the nose was huge, it was just a bit scattered. I think more aging will help this wine to pull toge5er. But a ? For now.
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Color looks fine, deep red. Prunes on the nose, roasted fruit, oxidative notes. Very evolved, lacks structure, stewed prunes combined with thin coffee. This could be an off bottle, I hope it is, because I have more waiting in the cellar. Awful showing.
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no formal notes but this was sad. I had bought it 12 years ago from a caviste who had gotten it from the domaine. it was kept well. the robe was tawny like and the nose was spot on port. the palate was thin and surely not distinguished no rating
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3 bottles opened for dinner party, decanted 45 minutes before drinking. One bottle had aged much faster than the other two with thin rim and browning of colour, it was OK- not flawed - but lacked structure and all the precision had gone. The other two were much brighter, structure still firmly in place and a good showing of fruit - similar to the bottle opened in 2018 with note on this site. Score based on these bottles
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Drank side by side with 99 Dujac Clos de la Roche. Darker. Meat. Game. Stronger nose verses the Dujac. Total barnyard! Wonderful balance. Drinking well. Classic northern Rhone. Shared by DrK at Suzuki
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Was very muted upon first opening. Very slowly began to show and was delicious after 2-3 hours. Clearly showing its age. Sour cherry and raisin. Will drink the others fairly quickly with long decant.
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The cork came out easily. Poured through a strainer into the glass. Color of dried blood fading to a clear rim. Charcoal on the nose. At first it was like sulphur, but the good kind. Lit match. Then charcoal. And then a flip flop. Taste is bright and a bit sour....and then it went downhill. After an hour in the glass it was just old rubber. Too bad. In its day this was a great wine.
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Spice, plums, some acidity and fruit left, shows some serious age and time to drink up. Not the best vintage in Northern Rohne and maybe that shows now!! Despite that a interesting and great wine.
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This is tough to score, as I really was not well this evening.
Personally, I felt this was tired and worn, showing lots of tertiary notes, and far less enjoyable than a 95 hermitage from the same producer a few months earlier.
The group really enjoyed this though, which is perhaps why I will reserve my score. Drank with JO and SH in London
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From MG. I brought this and served it blind, and everyone was happy with it. Very manly, vertical and cool, black olives and bacon here, dry but round. From this format, the wine is very fresh. #SundayRoast#Hanne&Niels
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Beat your 2018 WOTY Dinner: Shoe polish, rubber, red currant as well. The palate has some crunchy acidity and light styled fruit. Good length. Nice wine and holding up well.
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I drank this months ago but sadly forgot to write a tasting note. What I do remember is that it was very good and still drinking very well, although perhaps a bit past its peak.
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Tasted blind next to the 1998. Dark ruby, clear. Surprisingly young compared with the 98, but lacks its complexity. Nonetheless a terrific effort for the vintage.
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this really opens up with an hour or so in a decanter, its fairly light in body, very elegant, there's a line of nice red fruit still but a lot of liquorice and spice complexity from its maturity, lovely drinking
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This followed a Jamet CR and Clape Cornas and turned out to be the least good of the three. The main bugbear was an oxidative note but otherwise it showed less depth than the Cornas and less elegance than the CR. Nevertheless good and I might have rated it higher in less distinguished company. Jaboulet's bottlings were notoriously uneven at that time and I'm hoping that my remaining bottles will be much better.
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Syrah from Afar with a Champagne Flight to start (Long Island, NY): 2/12 syrahs tasted single blind. Nose is all bacon and grilled meats - yum!! Palate seems mature and well integrated, with elegant silky tannins and lots of savory meaty notes. Color is medium ruby - no bricking. Seems old world Northern Rhone to me and very delicious in a really nice place right now.
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An Afternoon in LI w/Friends (Champagne Reception, Syrah from Afar) (Long Island): Really good. This wine jumped out early compared to some of the others which needed more time to open up in the glass. There is clearly some age here. Some darker fruit notes. It started very bright and seemed to lose a bit of the fruits and become more leather over time.
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Really bright garnet colour, fading at the rim, the clarity really stands out. Nose quite delicate but rising a good inch above the glass rim, leather, red fruit, hint of smoke. Overall very balanced on the palate, good length and very consistent across the front, middle and back. Lasts well and again consistent, tannin's very healthy still but plenty of acidity as well, red fruit and a hint of spice, a little more fruit and this would be really very good. Nearly right up there but just not quite, despite all the commentary about Jaboulet in the 90's this is clearly well made - 1st bottle of six - earlier note about inconsistency may be right, I'll wait and see but this was good.
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End-of-year dinner (Jubilee Garden, Safra Toa Payoh): Last of a batch of many inconsistent bottles, this was decently good without quite hitting the heights. It had a lifted nose of blueberries and violets, earth, smoke, meat and a kiss of powdered spice, along with a little twist of rather Cabernet-like tobacco notes. Nice. The palate still had a layer of fine but firm tannins and bright acidity that formed a serious frame for really fresh flavours of blueberries and cassis, along with a bit of mineral, smoke and earth. The finish had a little grip of tobacco and tannins at the end. Quite pleasurarable to drink, but a touch muted - this bottle really needed a few more years to come about.
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Ex chateau. Drunk with la chapelle 2008. Well firstly, both very nice indeed. 96 wins it with more depth and length and just generally in a better place than the 98 but not much in it. I have a few of both left and they are both in a very nice place.
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Ex chateau. Drunk with la chapelle 2008. Well firstly, both very nice indeed. 96 wins it with more depth and length and just generally in a better place than the 98 but not much in it. I have a few of both left and they are both in a very nice place.
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Ex Domaine stock. Medium garnet yellowish rim. Blackberry, blackpepper, some dried-cherry, leather, game, earth, some forest floor. Medium body and concentration, sappy, noticeable ripe tannins, good length. Very good but Lack some finesse and complexity to be great. Developing now probably will last for another decade easily.
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Decanted 3 hours and served with rib eye, roasted mushrooms and rabe. Evolved nose with savoury and herbal notes, with fruit very much in the background. On the palate, meaty and pepper notes. Bright acidity and the tannins very well integrated. Medium bodied, and medium finish. Drinking very well now, and don’t expect it will improve. May keep one of 3 remaining bottles for a few years for research purposes though!
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Opened and let sit for 2 hours. These prob need a good decant. Drinking young and very vibrant. Rich red cherries and raspberries. Good acidity and bright fruit. I felt this was still on its way up and may need more time.
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Yet Another Wine Group Hermitage Tasting: Similar nose to the 94 but a little fresher, some herbal aromas, leather. Still some richness on the palate, a little bit unbalanced with too much sweetness on the front. Still quite young with the tannin not fully resolved. Tobacco
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Intéressant mais un peu trop évolué à mon goût. De discrètes notes oxydatives au nez. En bouche on est sur les arômes de fruits séchés et de terre. Je préfère un peu plus de structure mais ce vin avait encore plusieurs choses à offrir.
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Similar note as previous bottle except this one displays more funky, truffle, animale note w slightly more advanced on the palate. Still, a very good juice.
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Excellent cork. Deep dark red. Rich ripe dark berries, ink, blood, dried earth, plums and liquorice. Silky smooth, medium intensity, rich blend of dark fruits and dark liquorice and meat stock. Has very fine soft tannins and reasonable acidity. Clearly has developed, lots of interest but is now quite broad and on the downhill run. Good drinking now.
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Not the most impressive Hermitage, but it has aged well and still feels like it has many years left in it. Started with quite a typical Syrah character of pepper and black fruit with a bit of a funk. Very mineral too. After a few hours open it smoothed out a lot and maybe lost some of its character. Enjoyable but won't improve further...
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Hermitage La Chapelle & Grange (10 Greek Street, London): Dark nosed. A touch of dusty rubber but not too much so as to be off-putting. Dense and brooding on the attack. Fresh acidity on the finish. Just needs time, I think, to open and meld. This really starts to, if not relax, loosen its grip with air. The ugly duckling that turns in to something splendid? ****?
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Red and dark berry fruits, earth, minerals, autumn and some bell pepper in the bouquet. On the palate a beautiful and mature wine with leather, mineral, good acidity and round tannin. This bottle is completely ready now. No real hurry.
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Almost immediately expressive, this seductive la chapelle offers complex note of red and blue berry fruits intermixed with smoke herbs, violet and leather. Highly focus on the palate. The entry is filled with round acidity that elevated the overall mouth feel as well as in a total harmony with the sweet cherry fruits. Tannin is almost fully integrated but by no mean distractive, instead it provides an extra dimension and the old school rusticity (just a touch, really). Lovely length. It is started to drink well and will continue to evolve further if you prefer more matured note
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Always perfectly stored. Relatively youthful medium carmine, still staining the glass at 20 years old - nose is slightly Bretty, old leather, cherry, a floral note-fresh, excellent acidity - some might say slightly skinny, but it is elegant, with a complex palate. Old school. The freshness and some back end tannins suggest that this still has some room to run. It was great with a short decant.
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Vinnut's excellent description below probably reflects more than what we noticed -- but I'd not quibble with any of it. It exhibited a lovely nose, depth, balance, and lingering finish.
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Deep, dark garnet in color with just slight clearing at the edges. Forward, fragrant & attractive nose of developed & complex, ripe fruit aromas of dark cherries, blackberries & kirsch with overtones of sous-bois, earthy/dusty & floral notes of violets, dried herbs, notes of mint & anise, truffles, spice notes & pepper, olives, aged leather, minerals, cocoa, smoky and a hint of meaty undertones in the background. Medium-full bodied with a very good concentration of well balanced & smooth textured, ripe, fruit flavors of blackberries, dark cherries & plums with pepper, savory spices & dried herbs, earthy, mushrooms, minerals and a touch of oak. Smooth & elegant lingering finish. Drinks quite well at present and should hold for several more years although any further development may be limited.
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Recently Bought ex chateau so beautifully kept bottle, wrapped and newly boxed. Very very pleasant and still lots of fruit but i suspect this will be at its peak for the next couple of years.
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Quite tight. Needed an hour to open up a bit with tastes of bitter cherries, plenty of fruit, good balance. Nicely balanced but little complexity. No tannins. Is this still evolving or just going nowhere? A well made bottle of nothing.
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Still a baby. Opened and decanted hours before dinner – it was not until the end of the evening that it started to shine. Wonderful Syrah warmth mixed with classic pepper and bacon notes. In a bit of an awkward stage as there is a mature feel in the mouth but a somewhat hard and jagged finish. Will continue to improve for another 5 to 10 years. Very good if not incredible potential. (92+)
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Charming style of Hermitage that is fun to drink today. There is freshness to fruit, roundness in the tannins and sweetness paired with an earthy character that adds complexity to the dark red fruits.
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Reddish color, smell of earth and saddle and forest. In the mouth it started with a little fruit but not very big or long, I would say a more old style rhone. Pleasant lunch wine
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Game dinner with friends (@ t Jachthuis): Rustic bouquet with sweet spices, blood, minerals like iron and earthy flavors. On the palate firm acidity, minerals, celery and drying tannin. Although I could still appreciate it, most of the group thought this bottle was too old. No score.
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Stored in a cold cellar since release. Perfect cork and fill level. Still red. Medium bodied. Flavoursome. Very French syrah. Little tannins left. Lacks real depth and concentration. Autumn rains? A little disappointing.
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Penfolds Grange & others (Extra Space): Aired in decanter for 1 hour before tasting. Pronounced aroma of smoky meat on pouring into decanter. Appearance is clear, medium intensity, ruby colour. Legs. Nose is clean, medium+ intensity, with a bouquet of truffles, mushrooms, dark earth, soy sauce, smoky meat, tea leaves, and some black fruit. Developed. On the palate, dry, high acidity, medium alcohol, high tannins, full body. Medium flavour intensity, with flavours of meat, earth, tea leaves, dark black plums, and some blackberry. Long finish. Good quality. Nice tertiary nose. However the palate does not match up, with the thin fruit quality failing to support. Drink up before it's too late.
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This has a dark brooding nose. On the palate, the fruit is rich and sweet but a full bodied Hermitage. Lovely little hint of the animale funk on the finish. The second visit to this wine showed a bit more of the wild side. This is still a pup with many years ahead of it. I also think its got definte upside from where it is today.
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Salil does Chicago; 4/16/2015-4/19/2015 (Chicago, IL): Double-decanted four hours before dinner. This is a brute. This is the guy who will bump you aside if you crossed his path. Big and powerful, with dense black fruit throughout the nose and palate. Brooding and massive, with just a hint of white pepper and animale, which sealed the deal for me, as it added a lot of interest to something that was otherwise a black-fruited beast.
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Much better than my last bottle. Not much fruit and tannins still muscular, but well developed savoury meaty flavours with hints of olive and mushroom. Slightly dry and acidic on the finish. Upgraded by one point to 92 on day 2.
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Deep garnet with nose of dried leaves, cassis and meat. Dry tannin in mouth some sweetness from mid palate with zappy acidity. Likely an off bottle, not very promising.
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Deep brick color - mature. Red and black fruit mixed with wet clay on the nose. The real winner here is the palate: sweet fruit, mature mouth feel, long finish. This wine has great structure to go with the mature fruit. Better than expected. My experience with this wine is much better than many others. (93)
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Stored perfect since release. Much better than I would have expected. Last bottle 6 years ago was not as fruity and meaty as this one. Lovely complex nose of ink, meat, blood, not as much green herbs but more animalistic. Lacking a bit presence on the mid palate but it took on weight after a few hours in the decanter. Hmm might have underestimated Chapelle 1996 and 1997...
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P n' P. Dense purple. Very "masculine" nose of blackberries, pepper, earth and tar. The tarriness is also quite pronounced on the palate, and tannins still feel a bit stern, almost harsh. 96-acitidy for sure. The length is there, and in some ways this seems a bit ungiving, but I do doubt if the fruit concentration is sufficient for it to improve further.
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Interesting nose, more reminiscent of a cotes du rhone than the Hermitage I have had, not sure this has much more left...but drinking well now, memorable finish.
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Stored in a cold cellar since release. High neck fill. Cork broke but my fault! Perfect condition. Still deep red. Medium bodied good acidity. Reasonable complexity. Very Syrah in the French style. Will last but will it improve? A little disappointing.
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Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle Vertical Tasting 1969 - 2010 (Regional Wines and Spirits, Wellington, New Zealand): Ruby with bricking edge. Aromatic nose of smoke, leather, camphor and some spicy oak - cloves and toast. Very high acid structure and tart profile are features of the palate. Lingering finish. The wine opened out beautifully over the evening and the fruit sweetened. In the end, I really liked this wine but its very lean and tannic style will not appeal to everyone,
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this was very nice, especially on night one, nose was present on pnp, gone on night two and three, palate was true french syrah in an elegant hi-toned style, meat juice, blood, citrus undertones on the palate, acidic and with some savory notes along side decidedly red fruit, faded completely on night three (gassed and fridged for two nights), not a rebut but a nice wine to have experienced
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The wine looks ruby colored with medium legs . There is heavy sediment in the bottle and it like mineral or earth and tasted very much of mineral. The body is full and the wine was coarse. It finished long. Not my favorite bottle of Rhone.
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Deep red and translucent. Black Cherry, dark red fruit, plums and leather nose. Smoky. Dark fruit palate with great acidity. Great mineral backbone in the wine. Drinks well now.
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The wine looks Crimson colored. The legs are Fast. It smells like Forest floor, Soy Sauce, and Meaty. It tastes like Meaty, Raisin, and Cranberry. The body is Light/Medium. The wine has Polished texture. The wine finishes Short.
I think this wine's best years are behind it. Drink now.
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Dark red, brownish hue; somewhat muted nose, forest floor, bit of caramel; forest floor repeats in taste, spices, lean and elegant; nice and elegant in overall impression, but fading fruit and sharpening; guess it is now or never, drink up
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Casual dinner gathering with Rhone wines (小杬公菜館 Siu Lam Kung Restaurant): Beautiful ruby color with light rim. Soft nose, perfumed oak, raspberry, fruity gum and a hint of truffle. Nice palate, with fresh berries, red cherry and spice. Solid mid palate, good weight, fantastic acidity and balance. Medium plus mouth feel, structured. Tasty tannins, very nice grip, and long finish. This claret still has some years to go before reaching its maturity, right now the 1997 is better for consumption, but the 1996 has slightly more potential and will be great in few years of time.
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Surprise Birthday Party (Q4): No formal notes. Classic Northern Rhone nose: dark fruits, meant, olive tapenade, and pepper. Richer on the palate but still shows some elegance too. Solid acidity and plenty of material to develop further. Excellent. 91+
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Devin's Surprise Birthday Party (Q4 - Vancouver, BC): Generous nose exhibiting a ton of rich dark fruits, black olives, meat, leather, spice, prunes, licorice, and a hint of cooling menthol. Great richness and depth on the palate with a bit more red fruits coming through, showing tons of spice, rich black cherries, smokey flint, bacon, fresh mint, and bright dried cranberries. This seems to be just coming into it's own right now but will surely reward more time in the cellar as there are still a few rough edges to smooth out. Crisp acidic backbone with plenty of depth and stuffing. Fantastic.
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I don't subscribe to the Parker induced theory about 90s La Chapelle. Having said that this bottle was odd and perhaps unclean, the bouquet redolent of celery and the palate overly acidic. A previous bottle was much better. The wine never really improved much. PoP at a restaurant. Long decanting might help.
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Having seen the high incidence of flawed bottles, I was gratified that this bottle was drinkable, though only after fighting my way through a cork dried out in its top portion. To extract it, it was necessary to push it through and strain the wine through a thin cloth. But drinkable it was, a blend of black-fruits, leather, smoked meat and spice--mouth-filling and palate-coating, with a sustained finish. Give it a go if you have it.
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Martin's Birthday Bash (Gallery Hotel, Singapore): This was excellent. For all the bottle variability the 1996 La Chapelle has shown through the years, it does seem that it is getting better and better with age, with just a few blips for bad bottles along the way. I for one am glad that I have kept my own bottles somewhere deep in the cellar. On the night, this was the better of two blind La Chapelles (the other being a very decent 1991). It showed a classic Northern Rhone nose of dried blackberries and cassis, meat and dusty earth, licorice and spice - really nice. The palate was quite lovely too, very elegant and poised as usual, but also an unexpected richness to its attractive flavours of sweet black cherries and then black and blueberries on the midpalate. This has certainly put on a bit of weight since I last had it. Little secondary notes of smoked meat, earth and spice drifted past on a finish that showed a good bit of depth, but that aside, this still seemed very young, almost a bit primary. Really nice though - this is a wine that really seemed to be coming together. It needs some time nonetheless, but I think it will be lovely in 10 years or so.
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Another great bottle. Even more enjoyable than the last, still improving... Same as previous notes, even after a 4hr double decant the wine lasted for hours in the glass.
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Consistent with my previous note - perhaps more soy than I remembered before, and on the nose leather was much more evident after extended air. 4hr double decant and cool down was just right. Smooth and elegant with changing aromas as we drank over following 3hrs with Asian mushroom beef stroganoff. Wonderful bottle.
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Sampled 10/12/12/ 2nd bottle was not as bad as first but still clearly a flawed bottle. No kerosine and not corked nor brett, but all fruit was completely muted on both the nose and palate. As flat as a wine can be without being flawed by some clearly defined cause. Not sure why both bottles were so bad. Color was great, fill was great, cork was great.
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Sunday Brown Bag Tasting: 2001 CA cabs (Mike & Judi's): Fairly deep color, featuring notes of ripe black fruit, roasted plum and herbs. Nice balance, with flavors of red and black fruits and roasted meat. Finishes well.
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Rich roast meats, soy. Lacks the density and bacon of better vintages. Yes, disappoints compared with great vintages, but the 1996 and 1997 are the best of the poor-90s Chapelles. Will improve in 5-10yrs, drink now with 5hr decant and cool down. QPR quite good still for reliable bottles.
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"Barely Legal" Lunch (Asia Grand, Odeon Towers): There has been so much variability with these bottles. This was one of the better ones - a really nice wine. Maybe not as great as one would expect from a wine with as storied a reputation as La Chapelle, but certainly rather better than its dire reputation for underperforming in the mid-nineties would lead one to believe. It had a really lovely nose, with black cherries and cassis wrapped some earth smoked meat and a hint of mint and minerally nuances. Lovely stuff. The palate was very pleasurable too, with a strong attack led by pure, light-footed cassis notes with a little blackberry-like sweetness following up. Good depth there, but it was more the great balance lent to it by fresh acidity and fine tannins that really marked the wine out for me. It had all the beautiful focus and definition that you would expect from a good bottle of La Chapelle. On the midpalate, the black fruited notes were met by a bit of bramble and spice and some savoury roast meat flavours ast he wine moved into a really fresh finish sprinkled with a lovely layer of spice and some savoury plum powder notes. An enjoyable wine. It was not the most profound or compelling somehow, so that it seemed rather less than the sum of its parts, but it was a nice drink nonetheless. A super pairing with a roasted Wagyu short-rib as well. This particular bottle had just about reached the La Chapelle's long peak-drinking plateau I think. There is still some development in its future, but I am not sure just how much more it will improve.
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Slightly spicy and lifted with slight sweetness and remnants of alc. Good wholesome basket of blue, dark red and purple berries plums and acai berries with black tea leaves. Expansive in the mouth. Considerably more modern than the 97 tasted a few weeks ago. This bot was also not as developed as previously tasted.
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Previous bottle was pure vinegar, this one was very mature - however I think it was OK.
It started off with a nose of very red cool fruit, some plums, melon. The fruit was there, not much, and limited acidity with very polished tannins. After an hour or so in the glass the wine starts to tighten significantly, the red fruit is blown away, and the nose approaches a whole other level of depth, which is also mirrored in the palate. The wine becomes elegant with a nice length on the finish. There colour kind of shows a young wine still, nose and palate tells another story. Judging from this bottle this is as mature as it gets, drink up.
I must add I am still a bit puzzled if this was an OK bottle or not. Recently tasted -94 of the same wine was a completely different wine and much less mature than this one. Perhaps the vintage of 1996 is the reason, but again - I am puzzled. I am drinking my remaining bottles over the short term, and I am also leaving the bottle unrated. If rated it would not have made it into the +90 anyhow.
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China Club BYO (Hong Kong): A lot of debate at the table on whether this wine was flawed or not and seeing by the tasting notes on Cellartracker a lot of people have the same experience. I think there is a lot of bottle variation with Paul Jaboulet and the '96 vintage seems to attract a lot of discussion especially.
For me the bottle was not flawed but it was very mature with a nose that only lasted about an hour and quite a mature claret palate.
Need to drink another bottle and see how it compares.
If you are holding drink up.
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China Club BYO (China Club, Hong Kong): There was quite a heated discussion on this one. I thought it had an off-nose but I'm not the most sensitive. However, when I tasted it, it was very sour with a long bitter finish. Seemed obviously flawed. Others thought that this was tasting fine - just the normal funky tastes! Just goes to show how subjective all this is.
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Very disappointing. Not obviously flawed, just tannic, thin and with a very short finish. I've had much better Chapelle and I hope this was just bottle variation as I have others in the cellar!
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Charming red fruit, perfume and red floral nose. Fresh red fruit, young raspberries, dark fruit and fruitcake. Showing good structure, high acid and tannins.
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Rhone Night (Zeffir, Dunlop Street): I am not sure what went wrong here. This was possibly the wine with biggest reputation and one the biggest price tags, yet it was by far the most mediocre and disappointing wine on the night. It is perhaps even more of a disappointment given that the last bottle I had was actually really good. The less than attractive nose was already a rather inauspicious start. A bit reductive perhaps, this was a strange mix of sweaty leather and burnt matchsticks along with rather muted notes of black fruit and smoke. The palate was just a bit better, with more of those black fruit and smoke flavours laced with high acid which carried the wine in rather energetic fashion towards a slightly spicey midpalate. It was well-shaped and nobly structured, but the flavours just seemed all a bit blunted as the wine moved into a very short and quite disappointing finish. A long decant may have helped things quite a bit, but I am not sure this bottle was all that good to begin with. I do not think that there was a fault here, just bottle variation maybe, but the wine was very ordinary indeed, even mediocre.
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Nearly opaque ruby color. Attractive nose of dark fruit, some floral, and game. Flavor follows nose with the addition of some white pepper. Nicely balanced, complex, delicious.
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Charity Event for Lee Ah Mooi Old Aged Home (My Little Spanish Place): A very nice wine, just starting to come into its own. There was a classic La Chapelle nose here - broiled meat and damp earth aromas were accompanied by some winter melon scents, a touch of peppery spice and nice dark fruited scents of cassis and blackberries touched with a flowery hint. The palate had all the classy elegance you would expect of a good La Chapelle. Not huge depth here, but it did not need it. This had beautiful poise, focus and balance, like a male ballerina, sinewy, yet lithe and elegant with a velvety structure and well-integrated acidity weaving its way through clean, clear flavours of dark plums and blueberries, and then lower-toned notes of earth and warm spices filling in at the decent finish. Nice. Not one of the great La Chapelles I think, but a very nice wine indeed. While it is just starting to drink well, it would really benefit from another 5 years or so in the bottle.
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Enjoyed a bottle of this at the very underrated Roly's Dundrum in Dublin. A fantastic wine at a fantastic price. Decanted and left to breathe for just 30 min, I was concerned that the wine might need more time to open. On this showing, To give it more time would have been an error. It has a gorgeous nose of dark red fruit and white pepper. Surprisingly acidic in the mouth at first, but that soon dissipates to give a range of complex flavours with a hint of Brown at the finish. Euro for euro, knocks the pants of most Bordeaux I have drank recently.
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Great, but not as fantastic as last time. Feels younger and more acidic than last time i tasted this. Otherwise it was consistent with my previous notes. Bottle variation?
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A great wine living up to its legend. Got a great bottle at Samplers in London and loved it - very long, still deep ruby, ripe tannins and structure, ripe black fruit. Cheers!
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Always a crap shoot when opening these wine, fortunately, this was a good bottle. No decant and this probably could have used it. Spicy, beefy bacon fat, smoke, dark earth and dark fruit on the nose. Still quite young and tannic at first on the palate, but as it opened up nice rich black fruit started to peek through. Some more bottle age will do it good, just starting to get into its drinking window.
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Dark, deep black with a bright ruby rim. Huge dense earthy nose with bloody, meaty, iron rich aromas and sweet cassis. Full and concentrated on the palate with ripe hedgerow fruit and spicy tannins. Complex yet still young and tight, not yet revealing its full hand. Lovely, but has much more to give.
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Absolutely fantastic nose! Huge! So much ripe fruits and toffee I can hardly believe it. Massive taste, smoky, fruity and very pure. A lovely acidity as well. What a wine! By far the best Rhone I have ever tasted (although admittedly I don’t have too much experience of the area).
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Blue/garnet color. Decanted for 30 minutes. Aromas of red fruits, leather, damp earth and violets. Beautifully structured, ripe fruit in the mouth with good complexity, excellent balance, ripe, fully integrated tannins and great length. Not a blockbuster but a silky, sweet medium-bodied wine that was delicious with the fine cooking at the Vidalia Restaurant in Washington, DC.
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Commanderie des Cotes du Rhone, NYC (Russian Tea Room): Very dark, even the nose is brooding, with some animal fur. Hard to believe this is a '96; seems so young in color. Although on the palate the tannin is softer and the palate has gotten round around the edges. Very good. Weak vintage? Hardly.
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Decanted for 1 hr. Reasonable amounts of sediment. Did not get much fruit on the nose initially, but was definately opening up throughout the evening. Earthy notes on the palate, with some mint coming through towards the end. I really liked this.
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Decanted for 2+ hours, during which it was continuously improving. Fairly dark garnet with brick hues. Intense coffee, black olive, raspberry, currant and green pepper. Mid-bodied, balanced and elegant with soft, fine-grained tanins, nice fruit and high acidity. Very long finish. At its prime. Perfect pairing with roast lamb.
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9 from Hermitage, Hanna, Fonseca, Tokaji (Dale's): Looking old and a bit flat, this did come together with some air. Dusty at first, it added red raspberries. There was a tart acidity that seemed out of balance and never quite came together. Later, black raspberries and tannins came out. Perhaps slow oxygenation would help, but this bottle never seemed destined for greatness.
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Phenomenal nose! Wow! This is one to sniff at! Bright blackberry, cocoa, smoky tea, black olive, and exotic spices, but all very refined and balanced, nothing out of proportion. Add black currant in the mouth, which is silky and gorgeous, finishing long and pure with minerally tannins. a really great wine that I might be underrating. This might still be two to five years from peak drinking, and showed no sign of age. 93+ From magnum.
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Opened for 8 hrs prior to 1 sip. Gamey nose on a rustic side, with some mineral and peppery nose backing up. Rustic and stony fruit attack and a little harsh tannin in mid-palate at first, but smoothen afterwards. Acidity was quite sharp in mid-palate during 1st hr of tasting, but backed with sufficient fruit later. Mineral came in aftertaste with earth and licorice. More rustic and higher acidity of la chapelle than I expected, maybe a character of the vintage.
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Brick all the way through. Nose of compost heap and wet leaves. Sweet fruit, sticky jam, liquorice with big acidity. Have drunk this wine before and was excellent so have to assume this was faulty.
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YES. Probably the best wine of the night. Great depth of colour and a nose with some developing N.Rhone scents. Still young and perhaps a bit of a shame to open it. But, still a really nice drink. Opened up nicely over the night too.
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Nez fin de cuir et d’épices, quoique très unidimensionnel. Acidité marquée qui vient donner un peu trop de structure au vin et lui donner un aspect squelettique. Assez bonne longueur, mais d’équilibre et en début de déclin selon moi.
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Third of 5 Hermitages. First sniff: Faded/aged. With a lot of sniffing nice, round and sweet with a oily-floral note. One the palate, it was totally flat. Scalped or corked? The others who had drunk it earlier thought it was corked, though I did not pick up TCA. Later, there was fruit and a chemical powdered detergent smell. Cork was pristine. Major disappointment as we very much enjoyed this wine about a year ago. I'll have to bring two bottles next time, as insurance.
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Die Nase ist erstmal sehr schüchtern und öffnet sich nur langsam: Waldboden, Laub, Kräuter, Anis. Im Mund mittleres Volumen, sehr mineralisch (Steine), etwas Pflaume, angenehme Säure, feste aber feine Tannine, gute Länge. In Astrid & Gaston, offen. (91/100)
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Had this wine for my 40th birthday party - purchased for $150.00. it was hyped up but was definitely a crowd pleaser. I thought it was nice but not an out of this world wine. I have had less expensive wines that are better. Nevertheless, this was very smooth yet complex. It is ready to drink now but will last a few more years.
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From magnum. This was very nice, subtly sophisticated, refined Hermitage syrah expression. This did not seem like a 96 - blind, I would have probably actually guessed 97. Elegant but warm and open at the same time.
This was so much better than the last 96. I sense a lot of bottle variability.
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Deep opaque ruby, with a nose of meat, black olives, and dark black fruits, anise, white pepper and violets. Rich and dense yet very well balanced on the palate, with blood and stones, meat, and savory notes in great balance with the fruit. A ton of tannins that are softening and not intrusive at this point. A touch of bitter chocolate on the back end f a very long finish. Poured blind fo rme, and I was very impressed that this was a 96, both in its approachability and its quality. Great stuff and very early peak. 94 pts
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SuperBowl Night (Chicago IL, Mike's house): nose: classic and deep hermitage nose filled with black pepper, black cherries, leather, charcol and dripping with bacon fat. A really great nose that sings and opens up more as the evening had gone on
taste: great medium/full feel with good medium tannins providing a nice spine with black pepper, loads of bacon fat, charcol, and a good helping of black fruits. Very polished feel thatflows well and showsits class
overall: a really good La Chapelle. Good layering and great weight, this is very much a baby. While it will never be a blow away La Chapelle, its a lot of fun to drink and has a very long life ahead of it
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lots of bacon fat, black pepper, and plum on the nose. This was decanted for 5+ hours and yet it needs more time in your cellar as in 3-15 years! Still showed plenty on this Super Bowl night. Very soft in the mouth- I got a nice blend of plums, stewed tomatoes, meats,and worcester ... Nice finish this will get better..
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Sweet berries dominating the nose that didn’t follow through to the palate. Felt really thin on the mid palate to me and had basically no finish. Flawed bottle? No signs and others didn’t think so. NR
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At Beau Rivage, Condrieu. Disappointing. Lacking depth and complexity. A couple of days later at a famous wine shop in Lyon, (forget the name) I saw it on the shelf and commented that I just had and was disappointed. The proprietor's comment: "So were we."
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Similar experience to a previous commenter. After about 20-45 minutes, this wine exhibits a stunning nose, texture, and barnyard notes mixed with bacon fat and coffee. However, it does decline quickly afterwards, becoming flat and limited to the 1-dimensional barnyard notes.
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I reluctantly picked this wine from a restaurant wine list, knowing it was too young to drink. It worked out okay. It started to hit its stride about 20 minutes after being poured into a large decanter, combining nice mossy forest-floor Hermitage funk with bacon and coffee notes. At 45 minutes post-decanting, it was at its peak, when some fantastic fruit started showing, along with mint, on top of everything else that had been there previously. Very powerful, masculine wine, yet beautifully complex. 95-point wine, as far as I'm concerned. But the wine declined pretty quickly. By about one hour 15 minutes, all that was left was the Hermitage funk. Still nice, but now far from spectacular.
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Agree with Paul S's tasting notes except the savoury soy sauce cum anise taste on the palate influences my rating more than Paul. All in all a good bottle but not quite worth eager anticipation. For those who feel compelled to pop a bottle now (as i did against the weight of opinon with regard to its readiness for drinking), let it sit in a decanter for at least 2 - 3 hours.
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Drank at Cassis with Ray and Lydia. Ray's bottle. Went really well with Ray's pigeon and lamb dishes. Dark purple-black colour. Very closed at first, rather tart and flavourless, but it really opened up after an hour or so in the decanter to show soft, lush plums on the nose, with secondary flavours of smoke and ash wafting alongside. On the palate, there were rich plum and blackberry flavours, peppery spice and that same rather haunting smokiness. Very elegant, with softened tannins and really nice fresh acid, which made the wine seem as though it was dancing gracefully along on the tongue. A little short, a little watery on the finish, but that grew longer as the wine unfolded and put on more weight and body through the night. A slight savoury soy character and more secondary anise and pepper scents started emerging at the 2 hour mark. All in all, a really focused, classy wine - very seamless, very classy. As would be expected, the last glass was by far the best. This wine is just about slowly creeping towards its drinking window. I would suggest holding for another 3-5 years at least if you have any.
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Developing, pronounced nose of leather, smoked meats, dried herbs, wood smoke and pepper. Medium to full-bodied with complex fruits and a fine-grained tannin structure. Elegant and subtle.
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Decanted prior to dinner for 2+ hours. Tried prior to decanting, and I spit it out--- mud and acid. I wend for a bike ride, and this really began to open. Poured at dinner, this pomegranate colored wine gave elegant aromas of bacon fat, leather, grilled meats- smooth on the palate, with an acidic and grippingly tannic finish. This is still a toddler, but we still really enjoyed this wine with the food.
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Starting to show well - olives, anise. Still just a baby with wonderful acid and tannins that are starting to integrate. Will wait a few more years before trying another one.
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This was delicious young hermitage. Decanted for 3 hours, this had lots of anise, lush blackberry, coffee, bacon fat with some gravel. There was a pleasing acidity and fairly fine tannins on the fnish. Very obviously youthful, but not hard and actually quite showy. This will gain complexity and I won't have another for at least 5 years. (so I say)
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VA and mushrooms on the nose. On the palate this tastes like liquified chopped mushrooms, with a dash of soy sauce. Wild. There seemed to be some interesting black fruit flavors lurking underneath, but overall this was in a very strange state all evening. I don't think it was corked. Dave reported that it improved significantly the next day. Judgment reserved.
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Dinner with Brad England and Steve Sigmond: The color is a deep red. The nose is wild and not in any way delineated. Mushroom smells dominate the dark fruit. There is also a hint of band aid that is distracting to me. The nose reminds me a bit of the 1989 Chapelle tasted recently -- interesting, but in a wild way that is hard to pin down. The taste was very solid. Plenty of dark fruit and mineral in a nicely structured wine. Tastes very normal next to the super-exotic Landonne. There is plenty of tannin present. The finish is excellent. I would guess this is in an early drinking window, but should continue to develop for many, many years.
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At a beautiful wine at a beautiful stage. Decanted 2 hours. The expressive nose has dark red berries dancing with a little leather, earth and pepper. Unlike some previous TN's, I found the silky palate flawless with the ample fruit in perfect balance with slightly bracing acidity and fine but substantial tannins. A wonderful complement to grilled Australian lamb chops and asparagus risotto.
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Dark red colour, good extract. Classy Syrah nose, good fruit & complex; lots of flavousome fruit on the palate, well balanced & round but frim & long finish. Still plenty of tannin. Needs more time
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Usual Suspects: Darkest hue of the Hermitage part of the lineup. Beginnings of secondary notes, crushed rock, sausage, some dampness, cassis. This has a firm more austere feel. Firmer acidity, earthy, very energetic, some toast. A bit flatter and less sweet, somewhat subdued. Given it's state, hard to see how it will evolve. While it could be shut down, the firm acidity and dampness would indicate less ripeness than I'd like. I'd avoid collecting more of this but will drink again in 7 years just to see. Still, a nice wine.
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Dinner at Campange with the Family This was a funny wine. My glass had an overpowering scent of iodine and black pepper. The fruit was totally obscured and as such I didn't enjoy this at all. All the other glasses seemed better, but there was a lingering odor that just didn't seem right.
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S.F. - Rubicon High End Rhone Wines (Rubicon, S.F.): Big heavy hitter with thick mouth coating tannins. Tons of dark, black fruit. Long finish this needed more time to come around or more years in the bottle.
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La Chapelle verticale (1978-2002) (Bad Ragaz, Switzerland): Serious nose, very powerful and incredibly focused/precise with strong aromas of black cherries (griottes). Lots of tannins still with a good showing and breadth in the mouth. This is clearly way over all the other wines in this flight (99-00-01-02), being the first to exhibit a real nose, body and finish. It's still not up to par with the best vintages of this wine, but it's certainly decent.
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Northern Rhone tasting with the Lakeshore Boys (My house): Decanted 4 hours prior to serving and consumed over the following 6 hours. Even with plenty of air this wine wasn’t yielding much on the nose. The palate was a different story though. Black fruit and minerals with a firm structure. This wine has potential for those who are patient. I won’t be touching one of these again for 7-10 years.
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Still completely undeveloped. Even after 2 hours of decanting, no concessions can be made. Far too much acidity. The nose is extremely concentrated. No residual sweetness. The palate is a bit more accessible but still too closed. Potential rating. Needs probably 7 more years if ever drinkable.
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From Magnum. We really should have decanted this. The first three hours, the wine was showing the austere/acidic side of Hermitage. Only as the evening progressed the wine progressively opened to show kaliedoscopic aromas and flavors of pepper, roasted meats, and black fruits, with great precision and minerality on the finish.
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Tasted at dinner at Montrachet with Olivier. Taste was generously sent to our table from another. The Montrachet staff encourage sharing on their Monday night BYO amongst tables opening high quality wines.
La Chapelle continues it's streak of not impressing me. Light bodied and loaded with black pepper. Just not my style of wine at all.
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MS offline. Plenty of fruit. This is a big wine - heavy and full. More tannins than the 97. I thought it delicious all the same. Others thought it over the top - ""garrigue - so heavy"" vg
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Dark, dark color opaque but not cloudy, no browning, lots of black fruit; very young with a whack of unresolved tannins; slightly monolithic at this stage but will likely improve
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3/9/2024 - astroman wrote: 91 Points
Hawker Food Night: Blinded, still some fruits left but mostly secondary on the palate.
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3/9/2024 - melvinyeowq wrote: 89 Points
Hawker night at Caroline's: Still quite acidic and tannic with warm roasted fruit so guessed 2003 Hermitage. A rather plodding wine.
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2/18/2024 - eboracum Likes this wine: 90 Points
My bottles of this have been maddeningly variable. A bottle just over a year ago was excellent but is predecessor showed signs of premature age. This one was in between the two. At first, the sour cherry infused fruit was sharpened by varnish notes and the finish showed a touch of cabbage-like oxidation but both these elements receded as the wine opened up making for a very good drink but without the complexity and velvety texture of the best bottle.
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11/30/2023 - philmtl wrote: flawed
Deader than dead. Maderized and putrid (applies to both bottles).
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10/16/2023 - ankitmehra Likes this wine: 94 Points
I must have gotten lucky with the bottle on the night because this wine was absolutely singing. I've made it a mission to drink more Northern Rhône wine this fall / winter and this bottle was a great example of why. The nose was multilayered and highly aromatic, going from notes of raspberries and florality to forest floor and smoke. The palette, though, was a joy as a fruitier upfront containing redcurrants and raspberries moved into notes of cassis, cedar and tobacco on the mid-palette. The finish was soft and elongated as licorice and earthier notes medlied together. I'm not sure how much better this wine is going to get going forward, but it was brilliant on the night.
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8/7/2023 - dagij Likes this wine: 92 Points
In a birthday tasting with l'Ermita 1997 and Haut Brion 1986 (1). Still a dark ruby core with amber rim. Aged nose verging on the barnyard side, but also with lots of sweet cherry and dark plums in addition to a steely tone. Medium to full bodied attack, quite heavy acidity up front and on the mid palate giving an almost tart impression before the wine fans out on the finish to display some fine cherry tone and an almost flowery lightness. Very long. A bit tart impression makes me wonder if this wine perhaps is a bit over the top. Drink now.
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1/7/2023 - MC2 Wines wrote:
Wine Night at TCC (Timuquana Country Club): Not a wine that really stood out either way to me for the evening. It was solid. Good hermitage.
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12/30/2022 - eboracum Likes this wine: 93 Points
This bottle was much better than my previous. Not a powerful Hermitage but harmonious and seamless showing complex and gracious but still fresh fruit in which some ripe griotte cherry was evident together with an infusion of grilled meat and fine minerals lying on a bed of some depth and roundness accompanied by velvety texture, fresh moreish acidity and a decently long finish reinforced with kirsch notes. Excellent.
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12/17/2022 - Comte Flaneur wrote: 92 Points
White pepper, cured meat, hung game, some shoe polish, a bit of smoky charcoal, evocative, animale, not at all heavy, rich or concentrated on the palate but quite relaxed, resolved and refined, it is fully mature; not a great vintage or rendition of HLC, but this fully mature example exhibits the full array of tertiary development, with the classic old school hermitage leitmotif, from arguably the smartest address in the northern Rhone; this arguably should be better, but is still really enjoyable. If you have any though drink up, over the next 2-3 years.
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12/2/2022 - asgerG wrote: 83 Points
PnP. Dull
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11/7/2022 - asgerG wrote: 83 Points
D2h. Dull!
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9/10/2022 - Juliansi Likes this wine: 89 Points
I have been waiting for ages to try a La Chapelle, finally had my chance over the weekend.. I was hesitant to meet one of my heroes though!
It was a privilege to try this Northern Rhone 1996 vintage, a good year with a sunny harvest. Freshness and sweet red fruit with hints of earth and smoke.
The colour showed some slight brown bickering, an evolution of when it was densely black and purple in its youth. The cork and label on this bottle was beautifully preserved.
The nose is deceiving of a wine 26 years old, showing some rather fresh floral notes which was still somewhat muted.
The acidity is still quite high but in a pleasant way, and the tannins well rounded too.
The mushroom notes were very apparent in between the sweet red fruit layers, and I grew to like this over the 1.5 hours!
This was however lighter then I expected and I found it uncomplex, but that's likely due to my palate processing 10 wines!
6th of 7 bottles.. @iampatt0 kept spoiling us with bottle after bottle, thank you!
PJ, Malaysia - 10 Sep 2022
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8/26/2022 - asgerG wrote: 93 Points
CV1. Generous fully mature bouquet, mushrooms, forest floor and more. Harmonious palate, lT, hA, mB, surprisingly well balanced, elegant, ethereal, elegant finish. Drink now but the acidity will probably preserve it. 90p.
+One week, DnP: what a surprise. This has certainly gained from decanting. Much fresher appearance, the musty element is replaced by dark fruits and now the bouquet is in perfect balance. Score raised to 93p.
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4/11/2022 - StefanAkiko Likes this wine: 87 Points
This is a rather acidic Hermitage and as poor as the vintage is know for being.
Not great on the nose. Some dirt and Brett, but also with a small serving of oxidization.
However, in the mouth, the unripe berries that this reminds me of, are still quite delicious. Almost no tannic structure, but the acids roam these lands. M- body and rather short. Still upholds a decent intensity. Superbly Syrah typical, but a little more Napaesque than Hermitagian.
For the current going market price?
Ha Ha Ha ! ! ! It's a joke :-)
You can buy supermarket Chiantis at a fraction of the investment and arrive with better wines.
Nevertheless, I'm happy to open up this year's birthday celebration week with this wine. Only uphill from here ;-)
For hoarders: his will keep long, especially if you are not overly sensitive regarding oxidized notes.
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3/21/2022 - Neecies Does not like this wine:
It's dead, Jim.
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3/20/2022 - WST wrote: flawed
There was no need to guess old vs new world; this was simply old. Decrepit. Senile and worn out. Probably cooked at some time. It's been taking up space in my cellar for 15 years. Maybe an old WineCommune purchase. Anyway, F' off and good riddance. Don't let the door hit you on the ass.
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3/19/2022 - nywine68 wrote: 93 Points
Fully mature, brown bricking color. Complex stewed fruit, earthy and mushroom flavors balanced by ample acidity to keep it fresh. Lighter body but good concentration of flavors. Medium to long finish.
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2/28/2022 - rossi.wine wrote: 91 Points
Quite evolved in colour, slightly barnyardy, "dirty" on the nose, notes of spices, herbs, cherry fruit, horse sweat. On the palate pretty thin and drying, acidity sticking out a little. Still quite elegant and vibrant, just lacking a bit of richness and power. Good length. Drink up. 90-92
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12/17/2021 - kingkanu wrote:
Medium light body. A little va on the nose. Still some dark plummy fruit but showing plenty of development too.pretty good to drink now, but unlikely to improve. This was ex domaine few years back and in fairly good shape compared to others by the sound of it
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11/27/2021 - pbaek wrote:
Gone pretty much. Prunes, oxidative, coffee, impossible to drink. Another off bottle of just way past peak? I don’t know.
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9/27/2021 - hargy wrote:
this was drunk alongside the 1995 and both were very disappointing - the poorer of the two, this was thin and the fruit pretty much gone - not worth drinking and not rated
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9/24/2021 - dbkitc wrote: 94 Points
Very interesting that my experience differs so broadly with other recent notes. This bottle was bought on release and cellared since. Simply terrific - the best of this vintage I have tasted. The nose is loaded with mushroom, dark plums and earth. Rugged, meaty and mineral. The fruit is sweet which really adds to the complexity. The color is deep garnet - so surprised to hear that other bottles are over the hill. Past bottles I have tasted have been young and broading. This is lovely. The palate suggests peak maturity with dark fruits, ash, southern herbs. Medium bodied with lots of depth. Maybe missing a tad on the finish - but just a tad. The finish keeps it from a classic score but man is this good. I feel lucky to have a bottle like this considering the other notes. (94)
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8/28/2021 - mukden wrote: 89 Points
Hmmm…not sure. Surprisingly high 13.5 a/c is the first thing you notice. Colour is good it clear but not as wine dark as chapelle can be; my sense is that the fruit is a bit on the thin side and the heat a bit too much to be either representative or classic .
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8/23/2021 - devino wrote:
Agree with Rayob. Almost beyond drinking.
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6/13/2021 - ClausJ wrote:
Jaboulet no doubt is returning with a vengeance in the last vintages but this is not one of the finer efforts. The wine is still intact, but with significant signs of decay, that can be charming, but in this case is not.
98 is miles better than the 96.
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3/27/2021 - PLKMTK wrote:
Lengthy Decanting essential; Drink up
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2/19/2021 - RayOB wrote: flawed
Sadly dead and gone
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1/18/2021 - jordanj Likes this wine: 91 Points
Nicely stored bottled. Great fill. Color was appropriate if not darker than expected. Nose is subtle with dried cherries, smoke, wet tobacco leaves and black pepper. The palate is not too shabby but tannins have fully resolved and fruit is scant but the acidity remains. Still enjoyable. I am not afraid to say this is a finesse wine and not just a cop out for weakness. There is subtle goodness here, but not greatness. Drink now.
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12/17/2020 - Paul S wrote: 90 Points
Alex and William's Birthday Dinner (Tonny Restaurant, Geylang Lor 3, Singapore): This wine has been wildly inconsistent for me over the years, ranging from meh, to pretty good. This was one of the poorer bottles. Good, but not great, a bit tired and funky, even if it was still quite a decent wine overall. The nose certainly smelt older than the wine was - with notes of balsamic and damp leaves and earth swirling around a slightly sweeter core of cooked cherries and dark berries, with some roasted meat, then gentle notes of spice and boiled herbs running on behind. The palate was decent enough, but far from world-beating, with a spine of fine-boned tannins and very bright, almost citrus acidity running through rather lean notes of blueberries and cassis traced with a little streak of minerality. The finish had a bit of a bittersweet twang to it, with some brush herb and bramble along with a bit of peppery spice trailing away. Pleasant flavours, speaking fairly eloquently of La Chapelle, but altogether lacking a bit of conviction.
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10/10/2020 - MLR Likes this wine: 91 Points
What a great wine. Decanted for nearly 2 hours. Showed stewed dark fruit and some spice on the nose. Integrated tannins let you know they were there but didn’t distract from the aged Syrah with its dark fruit and forest flavors. Had a note of black pepper in the back ground too. Very nice.
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10/1/2020 - nywine68 wrote: 93 Points
Smokey nose. Earthy with lots of mushrooms and secondary/tertiary flavors. Nice lively acidity keeps this well balanced.
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7/19/2020 - cannym Likes this wine: 90 Points
Garnet, red brick. Very funky on opening, wild animal fur. Brett? Dark fruits, wood smoke, iron, cured meats. tannins well resolved, plenty acidity. Enjoyable enough but something lurking in the undergrowth with this bottle.
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5/17/2020 - Ravi Deshpande Likes this wine: 92 Points
Like many older hermitages this is not in your face but rather slips easily across your palate showing almost textbook gun flint and sour, but balanced tannins giving it a sense of tension and excitement. There’s enough fruit however to keep it all enjoyable. With the more fruity and less acidic styles of hermitage coming in now it’s nice to drink a bottle they shows the older 90s profile. I’ll be curious to see how the highly rated 2016 is.
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5/9/2020 - Gabsby wrote: 93 Points
Great vintage showing a delicate balance between the finesse of a matured rouge versus the vigor of a younger, fruit forward vintage. The wine is complex, perfumed and very seductive. Notes of ripened dark plums, liquored cherries, jammy strawberries, smoked meat and tobacco. On the palate it’s plush and round, with medium+ acidity and alcohol. Long finish, and very well balanced. I am greatly impressed.
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5/9/2020 - P-M wrote: 90 Points
A wine of quiet and understated elegance and refinement. Some significant bottle variations, see my last note, but this one my last sadly hit all the right notes. And as always the ancien régime labels are a delight to see.
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2/15/2020 - tmagsmaken wrote: 90 Points
Brick hue showing its age. Complex nose: initially very ripe fruit dominates with plum and blackberry, soon evolving to tertiary notes "wet dog", cedar, tobacco.
On the palate, this wine takes a step back. Much more restraint, still complex but the acidity takes over. Still some tannins left, some smokiness and less full-bodied than expected. Long finish.
Good wine but misses something to be really amazing. Does not live up to its reputation but enjoyable never the less.
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1/18/2020 - SimonG wrote: flawed
Wraysbury dinner (Home): Opened to replace a faulty bottle of the same, and found to be equally faulty in the same way.
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1/18/2020 - SimonG wrote: flawed
Wraysbury dinner (Home): Full garnet. A sweet, decaying pruned nose with Burgundian levels of sous bois and a healthy dose of VA. Could be Musar. No, there’s something wrong with this. A sense of maderisation coupled with VA and goodness knows what.
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1/18/2020 - Patrick_from_champagne Likes this wine: 95 Points
Très grande bouteille a son apogée
les arômes sont complexes offrant des fruits noir, du lard fumée, du pruneau... en bouche le gôut change à chaque gorgée
la matière est soyeuse, puissante, élégante et très long
les tannins sont parfaitement intégrés
Un très grand vin
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1/3/2020 - jgh123 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Bought 6 bottles on release, put them in cellar and forgot about them. This is the first bottle I've opened. I was concerned by recent, less than flattering, notes but this bottle was spot on. It was pure and fresh. Not terribly complex but an elegant/seductive nose and moderate richness on the palate. Better than I'd anticipated (always a wonderful surprise)!
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12/31/2019 - beachbum wrote: 90 Points
Wine had funk on opening, sort of a tin menthol smell. It seemed rather light and lacking focus. But as it stayed in the glass and aired, this became a rather large brute of a wine. It showed La Chapelle with the liquid granite and fruit I so often find. It was not weak or thin and the nose was huge, it was just a bit scattered. I think more aging will help this wine to pull toge5er. But a ? For now.
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12/8/2019 - pbaek wrote:
Color looks fine, deep red. Prunes on the nose, roasted fruit, oxidative notes. Very evolved, lacks structure, stewed prunes combined with thin coffee. This could be an off bottle, I hope it is, because I have more waiting in the cellar. Awful showing.
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11/9/2019 - GUBBIO wrote:
no formal notes but this was sad. I had bought it 12 years ago from a caviste who had gotten it from the domaine. it was kept well.
the robe was tawny like and the nose was spot on port. the palate was thin and surely not distinguished
no rating
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11/3/2019 - JulianW wrote: 92 Points
3 bottles opened for dinner party, decanted 45 minutes before drinking. One bottle had aged much faster than the other two with thin rim and browning of colour, it was OK- not flawed - but lacked structure and all the precision had gone. The other two were much brighter, structure still firmly in place and a good showing of fruit - similar to the bottle opened in 2018 with note on this site. Score based on these bottles
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9/3/2019 - _water.into.wine_ Likes this wine: 93 Points
Drank side by side with 99 Dujac Clos de la Roche. Darker. Meat. Game. Stronger nose verses the Dujac. Total barnyard! Wonderful balance. Drinking well. Classic northern Rhone. Shared by DrK at Suzuki
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8/1/2019 - Gmblnman wrote: 92 Points
Was very muted upon first opening. Very slowly began to show and was delicious after 2-3 hours. Clearly showing its age. Sour cherry and raisin. Will drink the others fairly quickly with long decant.
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6/11/2019 - Zingrrl wrote: 82 Points
The cork came out easily. Poured through a strainer into the glass. Color of dried blood fading to a clear rim. Charcoal on the nose. At first it was like sulphur, but the good kind. Lit match. Then charcoal. And then a flip flop. Taste is bright and a bit sour....and then it went downhill. After an hour in the glass it was just old rubber. Too bad. In its day this was a great wine.
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5/25/2019 - mrbry83 wrote: flawed
Corked
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5/17/2019 - Mr.Fossan Likes this wine: 90 Points
Spice, plums, some acidity and fruit left, shows some serious age and time to drink up. Not the best vintage in Northern Rohne and maybe that shows now!! Despite that a interesting and great wine.
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4/16/2019 - _water.into.wine_ wrote:
This is tough to score, as I really was not well this evening.
Personally, I felt this was tired and worn, showing lots of tertiary notes, and far less enjoyable than a 95 hermitage from the same producer a few months earlier.
The group really enjoyed this though, which is perhaps why I will reserve my score. Drank with JO and SH in London
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4/1/2019 - Levantine wrote:
Still elegant and standing well
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3/31/2019 - beatles wrote: 92 Points
From MG. I brought this and served it blind, and everyone was happy with it. Very manly, vertical and cool, black olives and bacon here, dry but round. From this format, the wine is very fresh.
#SundayRoast#Hanne&Niels
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3/30/2019 - larsth wrote: flawed
Wine meet – Hermitage @ Lars: Corked!
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3/2/2019 - RobertHuang wrote: 92 Points
Trademark plum flavor and nose, pepper, bright acidity finish, elegant style and occasional aroma. Not sure to keep it longer.
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12/21/2018 - CamWheeler wrote: 90 Points
Beat your 2018 WOTY Dinner: Shoe polish, rubber, red currant as well. The palate has some crunchy acidity and light styled fruit. Good length. Nice wine and holding up well.
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12/15/2018 - brigcampbell wrote:
A little bit disappointed with this wine. It lacked any real ooomph. Light fruit and mushroom / herbs.
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12/11/2018 - mmh wrote:
I drank this months ago but sadly forgot to write a tasting note. What I do remember is that it was very good and still drinking very well, although perhaps a bit past its peak.
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11/22/2018 - Rani Likes this wine: 90 Points
Tasted blind next to the 1998. Dark ruby, clear. Surprisingly young compared with the 98, but lacks its complexity. Nonetheless a terrific effort for the vintage.
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11/20/2018 - Zweder wrote:
Monthly Tuesday group "The Dead Sparrow" #033: Northern Rhône red (By JWS): In the bouquet coffee, tea, soy and chocolate. Tertiary, but still beautiful. On the palate the same impressions. Firm acidity. No score.
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11/4/2018 - kingkanu wrote:
this really opens up with an hour or so in a decanter, its fairly light in body, very elegant, there's a line of nice red fruit still but a lot of liquorice and spice complexity from its maturity, lovely drinking
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8/12/2018 - eboracum wrote: 89 Points
This followed a Jamet CR and Clape Cornas and turned out to be the least good of the three. The main bugbear was an oxidative note but otherwise it showed less depth than the Cornas and less elegance than the CR. Nevertheless good and I might have rated it higher in less distinguished company. Jaboulet's bottlings were notoriously uneven at that time and I'm hoping that my remaining bottles will be much better.
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8/11/2018 - retired_and_roving Likes this wine: 94 Points
Syrah from Afar with a Champagne Flight to start (Long Island, NY): 2/12 syrahs tasted single blind. Nose is all bacon and grilled meats - yum!! Palate seems mature and well integrated, with elegant silky tannins and lots of savory meaty notes. Color is medium ruby - no bricking. Seems old world Northern Rhone to me and very delicious in a really nice place right now.
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8/11/2018 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine: 94 Points
An Afternoon in LI w/Friends (Champagne Reception, Syrah from Afar) (Long Island): Really good. This wine jumped out early compared to some of the others which needed more time to open up in the glass. There is clearly some age here. Some darker fruit notes. It started very bright and seemed to lose a bit of the fruits and become more leather over time.
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5/7/2018 - empire80 wrote: 86 Points
Difficult to score, not obviously flawed but just disappointing. Last bottle from a wildly varying batch.
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5/2/2018 - candyman wrote: flawed
corked sad could tell tannic back bone was in tacked with balance
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4/6/2018 - JulianW wrote: 92 Points
Really bright garnet colour, fading at the rim, the clarity really stands out. Nose quite delicate but rising a good inch above the glass rim, leather, red fruit, hint of smoke. Overall very balanced on the palate, good length and very consistent across the front, middle and back. Lasts well and again consistent, tannin's very healthy still but plenty of acidity as well, red fruit and a hint of spice, a little more fruit and this would be really very good. Nearly right up there but just not quite, despite all the commentary about Jaboulet in the 90's this is clearly well made - 1st bottle of six - earlier note about inconsistency may be right, I'll wait and see but this was good.
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3/24/2018 - SlimShaney wrote: 90 Points
Nicely aged and broad velvety but probably too sour for my palate.
Glass at Duddles, Shanghai Tang building, Hong Kong.
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1/16/2018 - FPLopes Does not like this wine:
way past....
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12/30/2017 - Paul S wrote: 90 Points
End-of-year dinner (Jubilee Garden, Safra Toa Payoh): Last of a batch of many inconsistent bottles, this was decently good without quite hitting the heights. It had a lifted nose of blueberries and violets, earth, smoke, meat and a kiss of powdered spice, along with a little twist of rather Cabernet-like tobacco notes. Nice. The palate still had a layer of fine but firm tannins and bright acidity that formed a serious frame for really fresh flavours of blueberries and cassis, along with a bit of mineral, smoke and earth. The finish had a little grip of tobacco and tannins at the end. Quite pleasurarable to drink, but a touch muted - this bottle really needed a few more years to come about.
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12/27/2017 - HENNO1 wrote: 93 Points
Ex chateau. Drunk with la chapelle 2008. Well firstly, both very nice indeed. 96 wins it with more depth and length and just generally in a better place than the 98 but not much in it. I have a few of both left and they are both in a very nice place.
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12/27/2017 - HENNO1 wrote:
Ex chateau. Drunk with la chapelle 2008. Well firstly, both very nice indeed. 96 wins it with more depth and length and just generally in a better place than the 98 but not much in it. I have a few of both left and they are both in a very nice place.
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12/24/2017 - wineappellation Likes this wine: 91 Points
Ex Domaine stock. Medium garnet yellowish rim. Blackberry, blackpepper, some dried-cherry, leather, game, earth, some forest floor. Medium body and concentration, sappy, noticeable ripe tannins, good length. Very good but Lack some finesse and complexity to be great. Developing now probably will last for another decade easily.
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11/25/2017 - ianprimrose Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted 3 hours and served with rib eye, roasted mushrooms and rabe. Evolved nose with savoury and herbal notes, with fruit very much in the background. On the palate, meaty and pepper notes. Bright acidity and the tannins very well integrated. Medium bodied, and medium finish. Drinking very well now, and don’t expect it will improve. May keep one of 3 remaining bottles for a few years for research purposes though!
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10/25/2017 - We Can Share the Wine wrote: 87 Points
Bloody iron
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10/12/2017 - Kemo Sabe Likes this wine: 93 Points
Opened and let sit for 2 hours. These prob need a good decant. Drinking young and very vibrant. Rich red cherries and raspberries. Good acidity and bright fruit. I felt this was still on its way up and may need more time.
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7/29/2017 - OmiyaDrinker wrote: 90 Points
Yet Another Wine Group Hermitage Tasting: Similar nose to the 94 but a little fresher, some herbal aromas, leather. Still some richness on the palate, a little bit unbalanced with too much sweetness on the front. Still quite young with the tannin not fully resolved. Tobacco
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7/28/2017 - Mazy Likes this wine: 90 Points
Intéressant mais un peu trop évolué à mon goût. De discrètes notes oxydatives au nez. En bouche on est sur les arômes de fruits séchés et de terre. Je préfère un peu plus de structure mais ce vin avait encore plusieurs choses à offrir.
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7/9/2017 - Cikgoo Likes this wine: 92 Points
subdued at the start but after 3-4 hours it drinks so much better. still lots of tannins... fruity and that spicy rhone feeling at the end.
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5/20/2017 - Sleepy Dave wrote:
Similar note as previous bottle except this one displays more funky, truffle, animale note w slightly more advanced on the palate. Still, a very good juice.
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4/17/2017 - Vini Ciclismo Likes this wine: 92 Points
Excellent cork.
Deep dark red.
Rich ripe dark berries, ink, blood, dried earth, plums and liquorice.
Silky smooth, medium intensity, rich blend of dark fruits and dark liquorice and meat stock. Has very fine soft tannins and reasonable acidity. Clearly has developed, lots of interest but is now quite broad and on the downhill run. Good drinking now.
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4/2/2017 - barolo300 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Not the most impressive Hermitage, but it has aged well and still feels like it has many years left in it. Started with quite a typical Syrah character of pepper and black fruit with a bit of a funk. Very mineral too. After a few hours open it smoothed out a lot and maybe lost some of its character. Enjoyable but won't improve further...
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3/18/2017 - GeorgeSW wrote: 93 Points
Wonderful, and ready
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1/28/2017 - Levantine wrote:
The wine has peaked although not yet characterized by tertiary aromas, mostly spices
Balance and round in the mouth
Extremely enjoyable
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10/4/2016 - SimonG wrote: 93 Points
Hermitage La Chapelle & Grange (10 Greek Street, London): Dark nosed. A touch of dusty rubber but not too much so as to be off-putting. Dense and brooding on the attack. Fresh acidity on the finish. Just needs time, I think, to open and meld. This really starts to, if not relax, loosen its grip with air. The ugly duckling that turns in to something splendid? ****?
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8/30/2016 - sharonandroland wrote: 93 Points
In a good drinking window
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8/20/2016 - Raizes Likes this wine: 92 Points
樱桃、红李子,很多咸咸的矿物感,少量胡椒和甜香料的气息,高酸偏轻盈的风格。单宁随着醒酒慢慢柔化,细腻虽不及同年份的Chave,但也体现出了老酒的独特魅力。有一段时间香气积攒出了深度和厚度,撑起了整体的结构,但是这种感觉稍纵即逝,之后的大多数时间里还是偏骨感的状态——虽不美艳,但风姿之绰约尚在。
1996-1999年是小教堂易主前的回光返照期,出品虽不及60年代和80年代辉煌,但至少在个性上好过现如今完全不知所谓的“Frey教堂”。这款96年的出品依旧是Le Meal田块主导,Les Bessards、Greffieux和Rocoules辅助,使用了20%的新桶进行12个月的熟成,颇有时代的烙印。只是相比于94年的妖娆和98年的厚重,这款96更加四平八稳一点,这点差异的结果只能说是见仁见智。
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6/10/2016 - Zweder wrote: 92 Points
Red and dark berry fruits, earth, minerals, autumn and some bell pepper in the bouquet. On the palate a beautiful and mature wine with leather, mineral, good acidity and round tannin. This bottle is completely ready now. No real hurry.
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5/23/2016 - Sleepy Dave wrote:
Almost immediately expressive, this seductive la chapelle offers complex note of red and blue berry fruits intermixed with smoke herbs, violet and leather. Highly focus on the palate. The entry is filled with round acidity that elevated the overall mouth feel as well as in a total harmony with the sweet cherry fruits. Tannin is almost fully integrated but by no mean distractive, instead it provides an extra dimension and the old school rusticity (just a touch, really). Lovely length. It is started to drink well and will continue to evolve further if you prefer more matured note
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5/19/2016 - winot Likes this wine: 93 Points
Always perfectly stored. Relatively youthful medium carmine, still staining the glass at 20 years old - nose is slightly Bretty, old leather, cherry, a floral note-fresh, excellent acidity - some might say slightly skinny, but it is elegant, with a complex palate. Old school. The freshness and some back end tannins suggest that this still has some room to run. It was great with a short decant.
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5/6/2016 - Deux Chevaux wrote:
Vinnut's excellent description below probably reflects more than what we noticed -- but I'd not quibble with any of it. It exhibited a lovely nose, depth, balance, and lingering finish.
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2/28/2016 - Vinnut Likes this wine: 93 Points
Deep, dark garnet in color with just slight clearing at the edges. Forward, fragrant & attractive nose of developed & complex, ripe fruit aromas of dark cherries, blackberries & kirsch with overtones of sous-bois, earthy/dusty & floral notes of violets, dried herbs, notes of mint & anise, truffles, spice notes & pepper, olives, aged leather, minerals, cocoa, smoky and a hint of meaty undertones in the background. Medium-full bodied with a very good concentration of well balanced & smooth textured, ripe, fruit flavors of blackberries, dark cherries & plums with pepper, savory spices & dried herbs, earthy, mushrooms, minerals and a touch of oak. Smooth & elegant lingering finish. Drinks quite well at present and should hold for several more years although any further development may be limited.
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2/7/2016 - Levantine wrote: 90 Points
In the beginning it was just tertiary
With time it opened up and added dark ripe fruits smokiness and spices
In the mouth drying out a but
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2/5/2016 - AudunG wrote: 88 Points
Evident caramel aromas. Smooth and velvety in a modern style. Rather disappointing for this wine.
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1/18/2016 - sharonandroland Likes this wine: 91 Points
Still fresh and can do with more aging
Showing little terciary
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1/17/2016 - HENNO1 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Recently Bought ex chateau so beautifully kept bottle, wrapped and newly boxed. Very very pleasant and still lots of fruit but i suspect this will be at its peak for the next couple of years.
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11/12/2015 - Lipsman wrote: 88 Points
Quite tight. Needed an hour to open up a bit with tastes of bitter cherries, plenty of fruit, good balance. Nicely balanced but little complexity. No tannins. Is this still evolving or just going nowhere? A well made bottle of nothing.
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9/28/2015 - dbkitc wrote: 92 Points
Still a baby. Opened and decanted hours before dinner – it was not until the end of the evening that it started to shine. Wonderful Syrah warmth mixed with classic pepper and bacon notes. In a bit of an awkward stage as there is a mature feel in the mouth but a somewhat hard and jagged finish. Will continue to improve for another 5 to 10 years. Very good if not incredible potential. (92+)
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9/13/2015 - reichken wrote: 91 Points
Deep color, nose is still fruit and sweet spice more than earthy, medium weight and medium length and fresh and goes down fast. Good value for money
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8/16/2015 - Jeff Leve wrote: 92 Points
Charming style of Hermitage that is fun to drink today. There is freshness to fruit, roundness in the tannins and sweetness paired with an earthy character that adds complexity to the dark red fruits.
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7/15/2015 - reichken wrote: 89 Points
Reddish color, smell of earth and saddle and forest. In the mouth it started with a little fruit but not very big or long, I would say a more old style rhone. Pleasant lunch wine
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6/26/2015 - Zweder wrote:
Game dinner with friends (@ t Jachthuis): Rustic bouquet with sweet spices, blood, minerals like iron and earthy flavors. On the palate firm acidity, minerals, celery and drying tannin. Although I could still appreciate it, most of the group thought this bottle was too old. No score.
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4/24/2015 - Thoughtful Likes this wine: 90 Points
Stored in a cold cellar since release. Perfect cork and fill level. Still red. Medium bodied. Flavoursome. Very French syrah. Little tannins left. Lacks real depth and concentration. Autumn rains? A little disappointing.
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4/22/2015 - Derek Darth Taster wrote: 91 Points
Penfolds Grange & others (Extra Space): Aired in decanter for 1 hour before tasting. Pronounced aroma of smoky meat on pouring into decanter.
Appearance is clear, medium intensity, ruby colour. Legs.
Nose is clean, medium+ intensity, with a bouquet of truffles, mushrooms, dark earth, soy sauce, smoky meat, tea leaves, and some black fruit. Developed.
On the palate, dry, high acidity, medium alcohol, high tannins, full body. Medium flavour intensity, with flavours of meat, earth, tea leaves, dark black plums, and some blackberry. Long finish.
Good quality. Nice tertiary nose. However the palate does not match up, with the thin fruit quality failing to support. Drink up before it's too late.
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4/20/2015 - Sennma wrote: 91 Points
This has a dark brooding nose. On the palate, the fruit is rich and sweet but a full bodied Hermitage. Lovely little hint of the animale funk on the finish. The second visit to this wine showed a bit more of the wild side. This is still a pup with many years ahead of it. I also think its got definte upside from where it is today.
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4/19/2015 - acyso wrote: 90 Points
Salil does Chicago; 4/16/2015-4/19/2015 (Chicago, IL): Double-decanted four hours before dinner. This is a brute. This is the guy who will bump you aside if you crossed his path. Big and powerful, with dense black fruit throughout the nose and palate. Brooding and massive, with just a hint of white pepper and animale, which sealed the deal for me, as it added a lot of interest to something that was otherwise a black-fruited beast.
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4/18/2015 - empire80 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Much better than my last bottle. Not much fruit and tannins still muscular, but well developed savoury meaty flavours with hints of olive and mushroom. Slightly dry and acidic on the finish. Upgraded by one point to 92 on day 2.
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2/27/2015 - conviction buy wrote: flawed
Deep garnet with nose of dried leaves, cassis and meat. Dry tannin in mouth some sweetness from mid palate with zappy acidity. Likely an off bottle, not very promising.
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1/5/2015 - dbkitc wrote: 93 Points
Deep brick color - mature. Red and black fruit mixed with wet clay on the nose. The real winner here is the palate: sweet fruit, mature mouth feel, long finish. This wine has great structure to go with the mature fruit. Better than expected. My experience with this wine is much better than many others. (93)
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12/26/2014 - UTPK wrote:
Stored perfect since release. Much better than I would have expected. Last bottle 6 years ago was not as fruity and meaty as this one. Lovely complex nose of ink, meat, blood, not as much green herbs but more animalistic. Lacking a bit presence on the mid palate but it took on weight after a few hours in the decanter. Hmm might have underestimated Chapelle 1996 and 1997...
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12/20/2014 - palbe Likes this wine: 89 Points
P n' P. Dense purple. Very "masculine" nose of blackberries, pepper, earth and tar. The tarriness is also quite pronounced on the palate, and tannins still feel a bit stern, almost harsh. 96-acitidy for sure. The length is there, and in some ways this seems a bit ungiving, but I do doubt if the fruit concentration is sufficient for it to improve further.
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10/31/2014 - jcovino Likes this wine: 91 Points
Interesting nose, more reminiscent of a cotes du rhone than the Hermitage I have had, not sure this has much more left...but drinking well now, memorable finish.
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9/28/2014 - Thoughtful Likes this wine: 92 Points
Stored in a cold cellar since release. High neck fill. Cork broke but my fault! Perfect condition. Still deep red. Medium bodied good acidity. Reasonable complexity. Very Syrah in the French style. Will last but will it improve? A little disappointing.
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9/18/2014 - Marc wrote: 89 Points
Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle Vertical Tasting 1969 - 2010 (Regional Wines and Spirits, Wellington, New Zealand): Ruby with bricking edge. Aromatic nose of smoke, leather, camphor and some spicy oak - cloves and toast. Very high acid structure and tart profile are features of the palate. Lingering finish. The wine opened out beautifully over the evening and the fruit sweetened. In the end, I really liked this wine but its very lean and tannic style will not appeal to everyone,
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9/5/2014 - WoodieBayArea wrote: 91 Points
this was very nice, especially on night one, nose was present on pnp, gone on night two and three, palate was true french syrah in an elegant hi-toned style, meat juice, blood, citrus undertones on the palate, acidic and with some savory notes along side decidedly red fruit, faded completely on night three (gassed and fridged for two nights), not a rebut but a nice wine to have experienced
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9/2/2014 - Leoville_2012 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Nice mature Hermitage. Forest floor, funghi, leather, dark berries. Very enjoyable right now.
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8/30/2014 - G_H wrote: 94 Points
Kirsch, leather, some animality, broth, porcini, lots of minerals, great length
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8/23/2014 - LWI wrote: 89 Points
Just average. A lot of sage.
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6/22/2014 - RBOND wrote: 92 Points
The wine looks ruby colored with medium legs . There is heavy sediment in the bottle and it like mineral or earth and tasted very much of mineral. The body is full and the wine was coarse. It finished long. Not my favorite bottle of Rhone.
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6/14/2014 - Milos Likes this wine: 93 Points
Deep red and translucent. Black Cherry, dark red fruit, plums and leather nose. Smoky. Dark fruit palate with great acidity. Great mineral backbone in the wine. Drinks well now.
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6/7/2014 - chablis28 wrote: flawed
Over the hill and/ or cooked on a retail shelf. A $20 gamble I shouldn't have made. Only upside, it's no longer taking up valuable rack space.
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5/6/2014 - muchomaas Does not like this wine: 88 Points
Crimson with lots of beef jerky, soy sauce, iron, steak blood but ultimately disappointing finish with some maderization and little length.
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4/8/2014 - MissHighwater wrote: flawed
Cork broke and decanted badly so fine sediment tarrnished wine. Impression was this needs drinking up in any case.
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1/19/2014 - broadband013 wrote: flawed
madérisé
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12/29/2013 - Cgallivan wrote: 92 Points
The wine looks Crimson colored. The legs are Fast. It smells like Forest floor, Soy Sauce, and Meaty. It tastes like Meaty, Raisin, and Cranberry. The body is Light/Medium. The wine has Polished texture. The wine finishes Short.
I think this wine's best years are behind it. Drink now.
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12/26/2013 - Yagil wrote: flawed
Chateauneuf du Pape (and one Hermitage) soirée (Jaffa home dining by Dolev Rotter): Unfortunately, this bottle was somewhat corky and not pleasant
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12/8/2013 - Miceri Likes this wine: 92 Points
Dark red, brownish hue; somewhat muted nose, forest floor, bit of caramel; forest floor repeats in taste, spices, lean and elegant; nice and elegant in overall impression, but fading fruit and sharpening; guess it is now or never, drink up
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11/3/2013 - rSyver wrote: flawed
Spoiled, again. Not had one good bottle out of 4!
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10/10/2013 - Cheungtp Likes this wine: 93 Points
Casual dinner gathering with Rhone wines (小杬公菜館 Siu Lam Kung Restaurant): Beautiful ruby color with light rim. Soft nose, perfumed oak, raspberry, fruity gum and a hint of truffle. Nice palate, with fresh berries, red cherry and spice. Solid mid palate, good weight, fantastic acidity and balance. Medium plus mouth feel, structured. Tasty tannins, very nice grip, and long finish. This claret still has some years to go before reaching its maturity, right now the 1997 is better for consumption, but the 1996 has slightly more potential and will be great in few years of time.
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6/14/2013 - ctjared Likes this wine:
So sad to see this go. 30 minutes of air and then......magic
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5/10/2013 - godx wrote: 91 Points
Surprise Birthday Party (Q4): No formal notes. Classic Northern Rhone nose: dark fruits, meant, olive tapenade, and pepper. Richer on the palate but still shows some elegance too. Solid acidity and plenty of material to develop further. Excellent. 91+
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5/10/2013 - MattTM wrote:
Devin's Surprise Birthday Party (Q4 - Vancouver, BC): Generous nose exhibiting a ton of rich dark fruits, black olives, meat, leather, spice, prunes, licorice, and a hint of cooling menthol. Great richness and depth on the palate with a bit more red fruits coming through, showing tons of spice, rich black cherries, smokey flint, bacon, fresh mint, and bright dried cranberries. This seems to be just coming into it's own right now but will surely reward more time in the cellar as there are still a few rough edges to smooth out. Crisp acidic backbone with plenty of depth and stuffing. Fantastic.
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4/28/2013 - P-M wrote:
I don't subscribe to the Parker induced theory about 90s La Chapelle. Having said that this bottle was odd and perhaps unclean, the bouquet redolent of celery and the palate overly acidic. A previous bottle was much better. The wine never really improved much. PoP at a restaurant. Long decanting might help.
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3/22/2013 - Pavan wrote: 93 Points
A great wine although a bit rough around the changes. Very good now but could also be cellared for another 5-10 years
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2/11/2013 - PMWestS wrote:
Undrinkable old and aged - this bottle was not right.
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2/8/2013 - isdblm@lsu.edu wrote: 91 Points
Having seen the high incidence of flawed bottles, I was gratified that this bottle was drinkable, though only after fighting my way through a cork dried out in its top portion. To extract it, it was necessary to push it through and strain the wine through a thin cloth. But drinkable it was, a blend of black-fruits, leather, smoked meat and spice--mouth-filling and palate-coating, with a sustained finish. Give it a go if you have it.
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1/22/2013 - Paul S wrote: 93 Points
Martin's Birthday Bash (Gallery Hotel, Singapore): This was excellent. For all the bottle variability the 1996 La Chapelle has shown through the years, it does seem that it is getting better and better with age, with just a few blips for bad bottles along the way. I for one am glad that I have kept my own bottles somewhere deep in the cellar. On the night, this was the better of two blind La Chapelles (the other being a very decent 1991). It showed a classic Northern Rhone nose of dried blackberries and cassis, meat and dusty earth, licorice and spice - really nice. The palate was quite lovely too, very elegant and poised as usual, but also an unexpected richness to its attractive flavours of sweet black cherries and then black and blueberries on the midpalate. This has certainly put on a bit of weight since I last had it. Little secondary notes of smoked meat, earth and spice drifted past on a finish that showed a good bit of depth, but that aside, this still seemed very young, almost a bit primary. Really nice though - this is a wine that really seemed to be coming together. It needs some time nonetheless, but I think it will be lovely in 10 years or so.
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1/12/2013 - JulianSkeels Likes this wine: 93 Points
Another great bottle. Even more enjoyable than the last, still improving... Same as previous notes, even after a 4hr double decant the wine lasted for hours in the glass.
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12/23/2012 - rSyver wrote: flawed
Another bad bottle. Have not had a good one yet.
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11/20/2012 - JulianSkeels wrote: 93 Points
Consistent with my previous note - perhaps more soy than I remembered before, and on the nose leather was much more evident after extended air. 4hr double decant and cool down was just right. Smooth and elegant with changing aromas as we drank over following 3hrs with Asian mushroom beef stroganoff. Wonderful bottle.
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11/6/2012 - Papies wrote: flawed
All 12 halves badly maderized. Bad luck.
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10/12/2012 - mxpbuy wrote: flawed
Sampled 10/12/12/ 2nd bottle was not as bad as first but still clearly a flawed bottle. No kerosine and not corked nor brett, but all fruit was completely muted on both the nose and palate. As flat as a wine can be without being flawed by some clearly defined cause. Not sure why both bottles were so bad. Color was great, fill was great, cork was great.
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10/12/2012 - mxpbuy wrote: flawed
Sampled 10/12/12. Two (2) separate bottles. First was beyond horrible. Kerosine/sauerkraut!
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7/8/2012 - AllRed wrote: 90 Points
Sunday Brown Bag Tasting: 2001 CA cabs (Mike & Judi's): Fairly deep color, featuring notes of ripe black fruit, roasted plum and herbs. Nice balance, with flavors of red and black fruits and roasted meat. Finishes well.
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7/2/2012 - JulianSkeels wrote: 92 Points
Rich roast meats, soy. Lacks the density and bacon of better vintages. Yes, disappoints compared with great vintages, but the 1996 and 1997 are the best of the poor-90s Chapelles. Will improve in 5-10yrs, drink now with 5hr decant and cool down. QPR quite good still for reliable bottles.
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6/4/2012 - Paul S wrote: 92 Points
"Barely Legal" Lunch (Asia Grand, Odeon Towers): There has been so much variability with these bottles. This was one of the better ones - a really nice wine. Maybe not as great as one would expect from a wine with as storied a reputation as La Chapelle, but certainly rather better than its dire reputation for underperforming in the mid-nineties would lead one to believe. It had a really lovely nose, with black cherries and cassis wrapped some earth smoked meat and a hint of mint and minerally nuances. Lovely stuff. The palate was very pleasurable too, with a strong attack led by pure, light-footed cassis notes with a little blackberry-like sweetness following up. Good depth there, but it was more the great balance lent to it by fresh acidity and fine tannins that really marked the wine out for me. It had all the beautiful focus and definition that you would expect from a good bottle of La Chapelle. On the midpalate, the black fruited notes were met by a bit of bramble and spice and some savoury roast meat flavours ast he wine moved into a really fresh finish sprinkled with a lovely layer of spice and some savoury plum powder notes. An enjoyable wine. It was not the most profound or compelling somehow, so that it seemed rather less than the sum of its parts, but it was a nice drink nonetheless. A super pairing with a roasted Wagyu short-rib as well. This particular bottle had just about reached the La Chapelle's long peak-drinking plateau I think. There is still some development in its future, but I am not sure just how much more it will improve.
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6/4/2012 - Alex H wrote: 87 Points
Slightly spicy and lifted with slight sweetness and remnants of alc. Good wholesome basket of blue, dark red and purple berries plums and acai berries with black tea leaves. Expansive in the mouth. Considerably more modern than the 97 tasted a few weeks ago. This bot was also not as developed as previously tasted.
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4/17/2012 - LMK wrote: 91 Points
Plenty of fruit, cassis, mushroom. 1hr to open ip.
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4/8/2012 - rSyver wrote:
Previous bottle was pure vinegar, this one was very mature - however I think it was OK.
It started off with a nose of very red cool fruit, some plums, melon. The fruit was there, not much, and limited acidity with very polished tannins. After an hour or so in the glass the wine starts to tighten significantly, the red fruit is blown away, and the nose approaches a whole other level of depth, which is also mirrored in the palate. The wine becomes elegant with a nice length on the finish. There colour kind of shows a young wine still, nose and palate tells another story. Judging from this bottle this is as mature as it gets, drink up.
I must add I am still a bit puzzled if this was an OK bottle or not. Recently tasted -94 of the same wine was a completely different wine and much less mature than this one. Perhaps the vintage of 1996 is the reason, but again - I am puzzled. I am drinking my remaining bottles over the short term, and I am also leaving the bottle unrated. If rated it would not have made it into the +90 anyhow.
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4/6/2012 - ctjared wrote:
This was absolutely fantastic. Had the trade mark prune flavor, but not as intense as other older northern rhones I have had.
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4/4/2012 - rSyver wrote: flawed
Vinegar ...
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4/2/2012 - bamawine wrote: 94 Points
Richard Jennings(8/11) has described this accurately-a truly pleasurable bottle.
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3/28/2012 - RayOB wrote: 90 Points
China Club BYO (Hong Kong): A lot of debate at the table on whether this wine was flawed or not and seeing by the tasting notes on Cellartracker a lot of people have the same experience. I think there is a lot of bottle variation with Paul Jaboulet and the '96 vintage seems to attract a lot of discussion especially.
For me the bottle was not flawed but it was very mature with a nose that only lasted about an hour and quite a mature claret palate.
Need to drink another bottle and see how it compares.
If you are holding drink up.
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3/28/2012 - DonalOB wrote: flawed
China Club BYO (China Club, Hong Kong): There was quite a heated discussion on this one. I thought it had an off-nose but I'm not the most sensitive. However, when I tasted it, it was very sour with a long bitter finish. Seemed obviously flawed. Others thought that this was tasting fine - just the normal funky tastes! Just goes to show how subjective all this is.
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3/12/2012 - empire80 wrote: 82 Points
Very disappointing. Not obviously flawed, just tannic, thin and with a very short finish. I've had much better Chapelle and I hope this was just bottle variation as I have others in the cellar!
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11/29/2011 - Mingmong wrote: 90 Points
Charming red fruit, perfume and red floral nose. Fresh red fruit, young raspberries, dark fruit and fruitcake. Showing good structure, high acid and tannins.
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11/29/2011 - Paul S wrote: 88 Points
Rhone Night (Zeffir, Dunlop Street): I am not sure what went wrong here. This was possibly the wine with biggest reputation and one the biggest price tags, yet it was by far the most mediocre and disappointing wine on the night. It is perhaps even more of a disappointment given that the last bottle I had was actually really good. The less than attractive nose was already a rather inauspicious start. A bit reductive perhaps, this was a strange mix of sweaty leather and burnt matchsticks along with rather muted notes of black fruit and smoke. The palate was just a bit better, with more of those black fruit and smoke flavours laced with high acid which carried the wine in rather energetic fashion towards a slightly spicey midpalate. It was well-shaped and nobly structured, but the flavours just seemed all a bit blunted as the wine moved into a very short and quite disappointing finish. A long decant may have helped things quite a bit, but I am not sure this bottle was all that good to begin with. I do not think that there was a fault here, just bottle variation maybe, but the wine was very ordinary indeed, even mediocre.
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11/4/2011 - Ron Van Holland wrote: 92 Points
Nearly opaque ruby color. Attractive nose of dark fruit, some floral, and game. Flavor follows nose with the addition of some white pepper. Nicely balanced, complex, delicious.
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10/30/2011 - Mingmong wrote: 91 Points
Wet leather, cheese, and savoury pastry nose. Ripe cherries, strawberries, and meat loaf.
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10/30/2011 - Paul S wrote: 93 Points
Charity Event for Lee Ah Mooi Old Aged Home (My Little Spanish Place): A very nice wine, just starting to come into its own. There was a classic La Chapelle nose here - broiled meat and damp earth aromas were accompanied by some winter melon scents, a touch of peppery spice and nice dark fruited scents of cassis and blackberries touched with a flowery hint. The palate had all the classy elegance you would expect of a good La Chapelle. Not huge depth here, but it did not need it. This had beautiful poise, focus and balance, like a male ballerina, sinewy, yet lithe and elegant with a velvety structure and well-integrated acidity weaving its way through clean, clear flavours of dark plums and blueberries, and then lower-toned notes of earth and warm spices filling in at the decent finish. Nice. Not one of the great La Chapelles I think, but a very nice wine indeed. While it is just starting to drink well, it would really benefit from another 5 years or so in the bottle.
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10/30/2011 - Alex H wrote: 87 Points
Black gunpowder , cloves and aged leather. Tea leaves tobacco and macerated cherries. Not bad. Drinking now.
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9/17/2011 - Duncan Disorderly wrote: 93 Points
Enjoyed a bottle of this at the very underrated Roly's Dundrum in Dublin. A fantastic wine at a fantastic price. Decanted and left to breathe for just 30 min, I was concerned that the wine might need more time to open. On this showing, To give it more time would have been an error. It has a gorgeous nose of dark red fruit and white pepper. Surprisingly acidic in the mouth at first, but that soon dissipates to give a range of complex flavours with a hint of Brown at the finish. Euro for euro, knocks the pants of most Bordeaux I have drank recently.
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5/20/2011 - Serge Birbrair wrote:
decanted for an hour made all the difference, much better bottle this time.
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4/24/2011 - Serge Birbrair wrote:
The wine couldn't hold the candle to 1990 Château de Beaucastel served side by side. Letting it sleep some more is required.
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4/14/2011 - Papies wrote: flawed
Badly maderized.
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3/30/2011 - mmh wrote: 92 Points
Great, but not as fantastic as last time. Feels younger and more acidic than last time i tasted this. Otherwise it was consistent with my previous notes. Bottle variation?
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3/25/2011 - Mari wrote:
At Bis with Noel, Ron, Nate, his girl friend and Brad
Delicious!
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3/24/2011 - Serge Birbrair wrote:
give lots of air. the wine improves drastically with it. Still not as good as 1998 vintage, alas.
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3/8/2011 - AN wrote: 94 Points
A great wine living up to its legend. Got a great bottle at Samplers in London and loved it - very long, still deep ruby, ripe tannins and structure, ripe black fruit. Cheers!
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3/7/2011 - hsacks wrote: 93 Points
Same as the 8/28/10 bottle except delicious with the "Offal" tasting menu at Matyson Restaurant.
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2/12/2011 - Serge Birbrair wrote:
enjoyed tremendously, the wine is in the sweet spot, no decanting required
Some sediments present but not by much.
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9/24/2010 - jreis wrote:
Always a crap shoot when opening these wine, fortunately, this was a good bottle. No decant and this probably could have used it. Spicy, beefy bacon fat, smoke, dark earth and dark fruit on the nose. Still quite young and tannic at first on the palate, but as it opened up nice rich black fruit started to peek through. Some more bottle age will do it good, just starting to get into its drinking window.
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9/16/2010 - Biggsy wrote: 92 Points
Dark, deep black with a bright ruby rim. Huge dense earthy nose with bloody, meaty, iron rich aromas and sweet cassis. Full and concentrated on the palate with ripe hedgerow fruit and spicy tannins. Complex yet still young and tight, not yet revealing its full hand. Lovely, but has much more to give.
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9/15/2010 - mmh wrote: 94 Points
Absolutely fantastic nose! Huge! So much ripe fruits and toffee I can hardly believe it. Massive taste, smoky, fruity and very pure. A lovely acidity as well. What a wine! By far the best Rhone I have ever tasted (although admittedly I don’t have too much experience of the area).
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8/29/2010 - kamaeder wrote: 91 Points
excellent drinking experience, quite soft for a syrah from this appellation. Pleasent bitterness, dried plum, black berries.
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8/28/2010 - hsacks wrote: 93 Points
Blue/garnet color. Decanted for 30 minutes. Aromas of red fruits, leather, damp earth and violets. Beautifully structured, ripe fruit in the mouth with good complexity, excellent balance, ripe, fully integrated tannins and great length. Not a blockbuster but a silky, sweet medium-bodied wine that was delicious with the fine cooking at the Vidalia Restaurant in Washington, DC.
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5/12/2010 - Pknut wrote:
Commanderie des Cotes du Rhone, NYC (Russian Tea Room): Very dark, even the nose is brooding, with some animal fur. Hard to believe this is a '96; seems so young in color. Although on the palate the tannin is softer and the palate has gotten round around the edges. Very good. Weak vintage? Hardly.
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5/11/2010 - Rupert wrote: flawed
Hermitage La Chapelle - complete vertical 1961-2005 (Institute of Directors, London): Oxidative, deep and smoky, but not nice
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3/6/2010 - PhilJ wrote: 91 Points
Decanted for 1 hr. Reasonable amounts of sediment. Did not get much fruit on the nose initially, but was definately opening up throughout the evening. Earthy notes on the palate, with some mint coming through towards the end. I really liked this.
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2/7/2010 - Yiannis wrote: 93 Points
Decanted for 2+ hours, during which it was continuously improving. Fairly dark garnet with brick hues. Intense coffee, black olive, raspberry, currant and green pepper. Mid-bodied, balanced and elegant with soft, fine-grained tanins, nice fruit and high acidity. Very long finish. At its prime. Perfect pairing with roast lamb.
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1/15/2010 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 87 Points
9 from Hermitage, Hanna, Fonseca, Tokaji (Dale's): Looking old and a bit flat, this did come together with some air. Dusty at first, it added red raspberries. There was a tart acidity that seemed out of balance and never quite came together. Later, black raspberries and tannins came out. Perhaps slow oxygenation would help, but this bottle never seemed destined for greatness.
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12/27/2009 - pgm wrote: 93 Points
Phenomenal nose! Wow! This is one to sniff at! Bright blackberry, cocoa, smoky tea, black olive, and exotic spices, but all very refined and balanced, nothing out of proportion.
Add black currant in the mouth, which is silky and gorgeous, finishing long and pure with minerally tannins. a really great wine that I might be underrating. This might still be two to five years from peak drinking, and showed no sign of age. 93+
From magnum.
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12/25/2009 - jono9999 wrote: 89 Points
Bit of sour milk on the nose. Smooth and silky, tannins almost gone, sour cherry and blackberry with a long finish. Classic Rhone.
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12/17/2009 - KCC320 wrote: 90 Points
Opened for 8 hrs prior to 1 sip. Gamey nose on a rustic side, with some mineral and peppery nose backing up. Rustic and stony fruit attack and a little harsh tannin in mid-palate at first, but smoothen afterwards. Acidity was quite sharp in mid-palate during 1st hr of tasting, but backed with sufficient fruit later. Mineral came in aftertaste with earth and licorice. More rustic and higher acidity of la chapelle than I expected, maybe a character of the vintage.
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12/1/2009 - bacchus of knockholt wrote: flawed
Brick all the way through. Nose of compost heap and wet leaves. Sweet fruit, sticky jam, liquorice with big acidity. Have drunk this wine before and was excellent so have to assume this was faulty.
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10/18/2009 - mukden wrote: 92 Points
YES. Probably the best wine of the night. Great depth of colour and a nose with some developing N.Rhone scents. Still young and perhaps a bit of a shame to open it. But, still a really nice drink. Opened up nicely over the night too.
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10/9/2009 - ludwigbpm wrote: 90 Points
Nez fin de cuir et d’épices, quoique très unidimensionnel. Acidité marquée qui vient donner un peu trop de structure au vin et lui donner un aspect squelettique. Assez bonne longueur, mais d’équilibre et en début de déclin selon moi.
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9/20/2009 - Vinosus wrote: flawed
Third of 5 Hermitages. First sniff: Faded/aged. With a lot of sniffing nice, round and sweet with a oily-floral note. One the palate, it was totally flat. Scalped or corked? The others who had drunk it earlier thought it was corked, though I did not pick up TCA. Later, there was fruit and a chemical powdered detergent smell. Cork was pristine. Major disappointment as we very much enjoyed this wine about a year ago. I'll have to bring two bottles next time, as insurance.
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8/31/2009 - Gerhard3 wrote: 91 Points
Die Nase ist erstmal sehr schüchtern und öffnet sich nur langsam: Waldboden, Laub, Kräuter, Anis. Im Mund mittleres Volumen, sehr mineralisch (Steine), etwas Pflaume, angenehme Säure, feste aber feine Tannine, gute Länge. In Astrid & Gaston, offen. (91/100)
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8/25/2009 - Squilber wrote: 91 Points
Had this wine for my 40th birthday party - purchased for $150.00. it was hyped up but was definitely a crowd pleaser. I thought it was nice but not an out of this world wine. I have had less expensive wines that are better. Nevertheless, this was very smooth yet complex. It is ready to drink now but will last a few more years.
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8/21/2009 - BradKNYC wrote:
Party at Leo's for the Gelbs. Saxum, Pegau, Jaboulet "La Chapelle," Usseglio, Marcassin and more. (Leo's.): Pretty muted aromatically, though it does show darker fruit than the '89. Higher acid with less fruit on the palate than the '89. Elegant and juicy, but it really needs some stuffing. B+/B. From magnum.
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6/21/2009 - Brad L wrote:
From magnum. This was very nice, subtly sophisticated, refined Hermitage syrah expression. This did not seem like a 96 - blind, I would have probably actually guessed 97. Elegant but warm and open at the same time.
This was so much better than the last 96. I sense a lot of bottle variability.
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5/31/2009 - cct wrote: 94 Points
Deep opaque ruby, with a nose of meat, black olives, and dark black fruits, anise, white pepper and violets. Rich and dense yet very well balanced on the palate, with blood and stones, meat, and savory notes in great balance with the fruit. A ton of tannins that are softening and not intrusive at this point. A touch of bitter chocolate on the back end f a very long finish. Poured blind fo rme, and I was very impressed that this was a 96, both in its approachability and its quality. Great stuff and very early peak. 94 pts
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5/17/2009 - MC wrote:
Stewed, oak, plummy - borderline undrinkable out of the bottle. No change after an hour. I hope this is a bad bottle. C-
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3/8/2009 - MC wrote:
Nice but nothing special. I would not wait for much more from this. Drink now. B
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2/8/2009 - Brad L wrote:
I was really disappointed by this; far too over oaked which just overwhelmed the 96 structure.
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2/1/2009 - KeithAkers wrote: 92 Points
SuperBowl Night (Chicago IL, Mike's house): nose: classic and deep hermitage nose filled with black pepper, black cherries, leather, charcol and dripping with bacon fat. A really great nose that sings and opens up more as the evening had gone on
taste: great medium/full feel with good medium tannins providing a nice spine with black pepper, loads of bacon fat, charcol, and a good helping of black fruits. Very polished feel thatflows well and showsits class
overall: a really good La Chapelle. Good layering and great weight, this is very much a baby. While it will never be a blow away La Chapelle, its a lot of fun to drink and has a very long life ahead of it
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2/1/2009 - LeatherPalate wrote: 91 Points
lots of bacon fat, black pepper, and plum on the nose. This was decanted for
5+ hours and yet it needs more time in your cellar as in 3-15 years! Still showed
plenty on this Super Bowl night. Very soft in the mouth- I got a nice blend of plums,
stewed tomatoes, meats,and worcester ... Nice finish this will get better..
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11/30/2008 - chbeaumont wrote: 84 Points
Plummy, iodine., medicinal. Meaty, gravy, stewed. This vintage of La Chapelle often gets a kicking. I've had far better bottles. 14?
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11/29/2008 - keelegl wrote: flawed
Sweet berries dominating the nose that didn’t follow through to the palate. Felt really thin on the mid palate to me and had basically no finish. Flawed bottle? No signs and others didn’t think so. NR
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11/29/2008 - SimonG wrote:
Hermitage La Chapelle Wine-Pages Offline (Vinoteca, Smithfield, London): Meaty nose, dark red fruit but a rotting meat aroma too, black olives. A feral quality. Quite developed, evolved mid-palate, acidity on the finish. ***1/2
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9/16/2008 - grapist wrote: 89 Points
At Beau Rivage, Condrieu. Disappointing. Lacking depth and complexity. A couple of days later at a famous wine shop in Lyon, (forget the name) I saw it on the shelf and commented that I just had and was disappointed. The proprietor's comment: "So were we."
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9/16/2008 - Javs wrote: 89 Points
Similar experience to a previous commenter. After about 20-45 minutes, this wine exhibits a stunning nose, texture, and barnyard notes mixed with bacon fat and coffee. However, it does decline quickly afterwards, becoming flat and limited to the 1-dimensional barnyard notes.
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9/8/2008 - RiedelBeagle wrote: 94 Points
I reluctantly picked this wine from a restaurant wine list, knowing it was too young to drink. It worked out okay. It started to hit its stride about 20 minutes after being poured into a large decanter, combining nice mossy forest-floor Hermitage funk with bacon and coffee notes. At 45 minutes post-decanting, it was at its peak, when some fantastic fruit started showing, along with mint, on top of everything else that had been there previously. Very powerful, masculine wine, yet beautifully complex. 95-point wine, as far as I'm concerned. But the wine declined pretty quickly. By about one hour 15 minutes, all that was left was the Hermitage funk. Still nice, but now far from spectacular.
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7/22/2008 - Ray S wrote: 91 Points
Agree with Paul S's tasting notes except the savoury soy sauce cum anise taste on the palate influences my rating more than Paul. All in all a good bottle but not quite worth eager anticipation. For those who feel compelled to pop a bottle now (as i did against the weight of opinon with regard to its readiness for drinking), let it sit in a decanter for at least 2 - 3 hours.
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7/19/2008 - Paul S wrote: 93 Points
Drank at Cassis with Ray and Lydia. Ray's bottle. Went really well with Ray's pigeon and lamb dishes. Dark purple-black colour. Very closed at first, rather tart and flavourless, but it really opened up after an hour or so in the decanter to show soft, lush plums on the nose, with secondary flavours of smoke and ash wafting alongside. On the palate, there were rich plum and blackberry flavours, peppery spice and that same rather haunting smokiness. Very elegant, with softened tannins and really nice fresh acid, which made the wine seem as though it was dancing gracefully along on the tongue. A little short, a little watery on the finish, but that grew longer as the wine unfolded and put on more weight and body through the night. A slight savoury soy character and more secondary anise and pepper scents started emerging at the 2 hour mark. All in all, a really focused, classy wine - very seamless, very classy. As would be expected, the last glass was by far the best. This wine is just about slowly creeping towards its drinking window. I would suggest holding for another 3-5 years at least if you have any.
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5/23/2008 - Art_Vandelay wrote: 94 Points
Developing, pronounced nose of leather, smoked meats, dried herbs, wood smoke and pepper. Medium to full-bodied with complex fruits and a fine-grained tannin structure. Elegant and subtle.
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12/2/2007 - hwallace3000K wrote:
Decanted prior to dinner for 2+ hours. Tried prior to decanting, and I spit it out--- mud and acid. I wend for a bike ride, and this really began to open. Poured at dinner, this pomegranate colored wine gave elegant aromas of bacon fat, leather, grilled meats- smooth on the palate, with an acidic and grippingly tannic finish. This is still a toddler, but we still really enjoyed this wine with the food.
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11/17/2007 - plhew wrote: 93 Points
fabulous bouquet. Unusual wine, unusual flavors. Really enjoyed it
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10/6/2007 - ajbrown wrote: 93 Points
Scrumptious, silky and rich with black currants and bacon.
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8/24/2007 - DaveF wrote:
Starting to show well - olives, anise. Still just a baby with wonderful acid and tannins that are starting to integrate. Will wait a few more years before trying another one.
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8/24/2007 - rmodak wrote: 94 Points
This was delicious young hermitage. Decanted for 3 hours, this had lots of anise, lush blackberry, coffee, bacon fat with some gravel. There was a pleasing acidity and fairly fine tannins on the fnish. Very obviously youthful, but not hard and actually quite showy. This will gain complexity and I won't have another for at least 5 years. (so I say)
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5/21/2007 - Siggy wrote:
VA and mushrooms on the nose. On the palate this tastes like liquified chopped mushrooms, with a dash of soy sauce. Wild. There seemed to be some interesting black fruit flavors lurking underneath, but overall this was in a very strange state all evening. I don't think it was corked. Dave reported that it improved significantly the next day. Judgment reserved.
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5/21/2007 - Dave Dalluge wrote: 91 Points
Dinner with Brad England and Steve Sigmond: The color is a deep red. The nose is wild and not in any way delineated. Mushroom smells dominate the dark fruit. There is also a hint of band aid that is distracting to me. The nose reminds me a bit of the 1989 Chapelle tasted recently -- interesting, but in a wild way that is hard to pin down. The taste was very solid. Plenty of dark fruit and mineral in a nicely structured wine. Tastes very normal next to the super-exotic Landonne. There is plenty of tannin present. The finish is excellent. I would guess this is in an early drinking window, but should continue to develop for many, many years.
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5/12/2007 - WST wrote: 93 Points
At a beautiful wine at a beautiful stage. Decanted 2 hours. The expressive nose has dark red berries dancing with a little leather, earth and pepper. Unlike some previous TN's, I found the silky palate flawless with the ample fruit in perfect balance with slightly bracing acidity and fine but substantial tannins. A wonderful complement to grilled Australian lamb chops and asparagus risotto.
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4/22/2007 - ecnemergut wrote: 95 Points
Excellent Hermitage. Red berries. Long finish. Impressive...
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1/16/2007 - gout wrote: 89 Points
Dark red colour, good extract. Classy Syrah nose, good fruit & complex; lots of flavousome fruit on the palate, well balanced & round but frim & long finish. Still plenty of tannin. Needs more time
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11/11/2006 - Grinner wrote: 89 Points
a bit of a disappointment, though nothing "wrong" here. Earthy, mostly red fruit and oak, fine tannins and nowhere to go but down.
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11/4/2006 - antiwood wrote:
Usual Suspects: Darkest hue of the Hermitage part of the lineup. Beginnings of secondary notes, crushed rock, sausage, some dampness, cassis. This has a firm more austere feel. Firmer acidity, earthy, very energetic, some toast. A bit flatter and less sweet, somewhat subdued. Given it's state, hard to see how it will evolve. While it could be shut down, the firm acidity and dampness would indicate less ripeness than I'd like. I'd avoid collecting more of this but will drink again in 7 years just to see. Still, a nice wine.
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8/23/2006 - Zingrrl wrote: 92 Points
Cherries, grilled meat. Good stuff.
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4/29/2006 - BradA wrote: 82 Points
Dinner at Campange with the Family
This was a funny wine. My glass had an overpowering scent of iodine and black pepper. The fruit was totally obscured and as such I didn't enjoy this at all. All the other glasses seemed better, but there was a lingering odor that just didn't seem right.
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2/14/2006 - Drrawstern wrote: 91 Points
Perfect with Prime Rib, strong and full mouth feel. Pepper and spice. Wonderful.
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6/22/2005 - jamiekutch wrote: 91 Points
S.F. - Rubicon High End Rhone Wines (Rubicon, S.F.): Big heavy hitter with thick mouth coating tannins. Tons of dark, black fruit. Long finish this needed more time to come around or more years in the bottle.
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4/29/2005 - Will wrote:
La Chapelle verticale (1978-2002) (Bad Ragaz, Switzerland): Serious nose, very powerful and incredibly focused/precise with strong aromas of black cherries (griottes). Lots of tannins still with a good showing and breadth in the mouth. This is clearly way over all the other wines in this flight (99-00-01-02), being the first to exhibit a real nose, body and finish. It's still not up to par with the best vintages of this wine, but it's certainly decent.
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3/15/2005 - PhDP wrote: 85 Points
Hermitage La Chapelle (INAO Vin-Passion, Bruxelles, Belgium): Nez "sérieux", cerise
Bouche sur la fraîcheur tannique "cabernet franc", fin de bouche dure et sèche, austère, peu de fruit
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2/26/2005 - cassetta wrote: 91 Points
Northern Rhone tasting with the Lakeshore Boys (My house): Decanted 4 hours prior to serving and consumed over the following 6 hours. Even with plenty of air this wine wasn’t yielding much on the nose. The palate was a different story though. Black fruit and minerals with a firm structure. This wine has potential for those who are patient. I won’t be touching one of these again for 7-10 years.
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1/13/2005 - jusuf wrote: 90 Points
Still completely undeveloped. Even after 2 hours of decanting, no concessions can be made. Far too much acidity. The nose is extremely concentrated. No residual sweetness. The palate is a bit more accessible but still too closed. Potential rating. Needs probably 7 more years if ever drinkable.
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1/8/2005 - jfloren wrote: 92 Points
From Magnum. We really should have decanted this. The first three hours, the wine was showing the austere/acidic side of Hermitage. Only as the evening progressed the wine progressively opened to show kaliedoscopic aromas and flavors of pepper, roasted meats, and black fruits, with great precision and minerality on the finish.
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6/14/2004 - JeffGMorris wrote: 84 Points
Tasted at dinner at Montrachet with Olivier. Taste was generously sent to our table from another. The Montrachet staff encourage sharing on their Monday night BYO amongst tables opening high quality wines.
La Chapelle continues it's streak of not impressing me. Light bodied and loaded with black pepper. Just not my style of wine at all.
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10/15/2003 - Jeff W wrote:
MS offline. Plenty of fruit. This is a big wine - heavy and full. More tannins than the 97. I thought it delicious all the same. Others thought it over the top - ""garrigue - so heavy"" vg
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5/15/2003 - Patrick wrote:
Dark, dark color opaque but not cloudy, no browning, lots of black fruit; very young with a whack of unresolved tannins; slightly monolithic at this stage but will likely improve
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