moderate nose of intensely concentrated everything. berry concentrate, char, ink, prune juice, black olive and some pastis. quite floral as well... maybe lavender/herbs de Provence vs my initial impression of violets. meh
palate is more of the same but with low+ (maybe medium-) acidity. tannin is barely smoothed enough to not be "ouch." youthful and rich and big. maybe too big for me
very happy to have trusted notes below and opened one of my bottles. it's open for biz and definitely enjoyable
voluptuous warm vintage syrah. powerful but not too fatiguing... drinks below 14.5% BV (in body) even though there's a bit of alcohol on the nose
similar all around on day two. I expected it to be more open.
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Big boy. The newer vintages of La Chapelle are undoubtedly going to a riper style while still retaining that silky, soft character. Similar to good Aussie producers of Shiraz. Ripe fruit - dark plum, blackcurrant, blueberries, loads of oak spices as well. Powerful stuff, will age for decades.
2017 Paul Jabouilet Aine vs. 2017 JLC Hermitage Both in 1.5L format.
Paired with Beef Bourguignon which was a perfect match!
Both bottles very approachable at PNP. Our dinner party gave the edge to the JLC as it was more focused and refined. Both are killer bottles in their own right and would not hesitate to add both producers to the cellar.
La Chapelle 97+ Drink or Hold JLC 98+ Drink or Hold
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Oh it's far too early my friends, but darnit-all if this isn't a fine specimen worth having in the cellar for a rainy day a few years from now. Opaque in the glass, with only the rims allowing ambient light, this wine is serious business. The nose alone is intoxicating enough to flood the senses, with a mashed berry fiesta shooting up the nostrils. Is this SQN?!
On the palate...so, um, nope, this is definitely not SQN. This is indeed Northern Rhone with some sultry time goin' on. The depth and length alone demand complete attention; a compelling array of youthfully taut but shockingly profound black, blue, purple, and dark red berry and plum fruits intermingle with black olive, wet stone, and spices. The acidity is judicious but not poppin'-off so loud that it takes away from the profundity; the depth here would never allow it. Finishes long and drawn-out, with focused speed and quivering berry and plum skin notes driving to the back of the palate and pitter-patter-undulating until they tail-off. Both chewy and concentrated, while simultaneously firmly juvenile in its determination and structure, this Chapelle may push the three digit mark in 5-6 years. 97+ points for now, but this is certainly driving a stake firmly in Hermitage with an alluring authority that speaks from both new and old world platforms.
The other two are not far off...this is damn near perfect. I'd never had this wine, and with the 2019's being released, I wanted to get an idea of the style. This is definitely in the "old world" style, with scents of black olive, smoke, charred meat, & violets. The palate is medium+ bodied, with med+ acidity, med+ fruit, and a long finish that called for another piece of steak. I'm excited to see what another 20+ years will do for this wine...only time will tell, yet I'm willing to gamble.
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Drunk at L&W EP in 2019. I dont remember it in full detail, but was impressed enough to walk away and buy a case immediately. I seem to remember it having a better nose than the Greal next door to it, but a bit less on the body.
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5/29/2022 - FiggySmalls Likes this wine:
moderate nose of intensely concentrated everything. berry concentrate, char, ink, prune juice, black olive and some pastis. quite floral as well... maybe lavender/herbs de Provence vs my initial impression of violets. meh
palate is more of the same but with low+ (maybe medium-) acidity. tannin is barely smoothed enough to not be "ouch." youthful and rich and big. maybe too big for me
very happy to have trusted notes below and opened one of my bottles. it's open for biz and definitely enjoyable
voluptuous warm vintage syrah. powerful but not too fatiguing... drinks below 14.5% BV (in body) even though there's a bit of alcohol on the nose
similar all around on day two. I expected it to be more open.
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3/30/2022 - grapenomad wrote: 93 Points
Big boy. The newer vintages of La Chapelle are undoubtedly going to a riper style while still retaining that silky, soft character. Similar to good Aussie producers of Shiraz. Ripe fruit - dark plum, blackcurrant, blueberries, loads of oak spices as well. Powerful stuff, will age for decades.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (4)
11/6/2021 - MJP Hou TX Likes this wine: 97 Points
2017 Paul Jabouilet Aine vs. 2017 JLC Hermitage Both in 1.5L format.
Paired with Beef Bourguignon which was a perfect match!
Both bottles very approachable at PNP. Our dinner party gave the edge to the JLC as it was more focused and refined. Both are killer bottles in their own right and would not hesitate to add both producers to the cellar.
La Chapelle 97+ Drink or Hold
JLC 98+ Drink or Hold
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10/2/2021 - csimm wrote: 97 Points
Oh it's far too early my friends, but darnit-all if this isn't a fine specimen worth having in the cellar for a rainy day a few years from now. Opaque in the glass, with only the rims allowing ambient light, this wine is serious business. The nose alone is intoxicating enough to flood the senses, with a mashed berry fiesta shooting up the nostrils. Is this SQN?!
On the palate...so, um, nope, this is definitely not SQN. This is indeed Northern Rhone with some sultry time goin' on. The depth and length alone demand complete attention; a compelling array of youthfully taut but shockingly profound black, blue, purple, and dark red berry and plum fruits intermingle with black olive, wet stone, and spices. The acidity is judicious but not poppin'-off so loud that it takes away from the profundity; the depth here would never allow it. Finishes long and drawn-out, with focused speed and quivering berry and plum skin notes driving to the back of the palate and pitter-patter-undulating until they tail-off. Both chewy and concentrated, while simultaneously firmly juvenile in its determination and structure, this Chapelle may push the three digit mark in 5-6 years. 97+ points for now, but this is certainly driving a stake firmly in Hermitage with an alluring authority that speaks from both new and old world platforms.
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9/26/2021 - Kirk Grant wrote:
The other two are not far off...this is damn near perfect. I'd never had this wine, and with the 2019's being released, I wanted to get an idea of the style. This is definitely in the "old world" style, with scents of black olive, smoke, charred meat, & violets. The palate is medium+ bodied, with med+ acidity, med+ fruit, and a long finish that called for another piece of steak. I'm excited to see what another 20+ years will do for this wine...only time will tell, yet I'm willing to gamble.
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4/4/2021 - Sonoma-W Likes this wine: 100 Points
What can I say -- a 100 point wine. Incredible! Well balanced, intense, charcoal and fruit was perfectly blended. We will buy many more....
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3/12/2020 - Wino133 Likes this wine: 97 Points
Drunk at L&W EP in 2019. I dont remember it in full detail, but was impressed enough to walk away and buy a case immediately. I seem to remember it having a better nose than the Greal next door to it, but a bit less on the body.
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