Five Vintages of Jaboulet La Chapelle

This was an amazing tasting of Hermitage. I loved these wines, but I am also a huge Northern Rhone fan. All of these bottles were tasted from the collection of the original buyer all those years ago and I have to believe that made all the difference here. The other CT notes were so different, it can't be just the difference in palate. Find the entire story from the evening posted on my blog at: https://bit.ly/2MjtBC5.

See article from blog post for more info.

• 1988 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Hermitage La Chapelle 96 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage

  This wine was almost everyone’s favorite in the group. Not as intense as the 1986, with more fruit on the nose and palate. Even softer, with medium minus tannin and medium acidity. This wine was missing the bigger mouth-feel of the '86 vintage and did not have enough tannin left to provide a good sense of structure. Not quite as balanced and the finish was a bit shorter. Don’t get me wrong, this was a fabulous wine too and I would drink it every day if I had an unlimited supply, but in a world class sense, just a step under the 1986.

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• 1998 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Hermitage La Chapelle 96 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage

  This wine was second on my list. Very fruity nose with noticeable alcohol. The flavors/aromas were more intense, as if moving back towards the 80’s vintages. This was the first wine with a touch of menthol on the palate. Nice dark chocolate component with a very long finish. The structure showed high tannins and high acidity, but had enough fruit to balance this approach to a bigger style wine. This wasn’t the same kind of wine as the 80’s vintages, but excellent in its own right. This is balanced enough to actually improve with more bottle age. Perhaps a drinking window of 2016 – 2026, with the best years to enjoy in the early 2020’s.

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• 2012 Reynvaan Family Vineyards Syrah In the Rocks 93 Points

  USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley

  So, here is the “sleeper”. I enjoyed this wine too, but this was less of a food wine than the La Chapelle vintages. Blackberry, mushroom and forest floor on the nose with sort of a grape hard candy component. The fruit on the palate became blackberry and grape jelly with a really interesting savory black/green olive tapenade that persisted, moving to dark chocolate on the mid-palate and finish. Good, rich intensity, but less tannin than I would prefer. The medium plus acidity added structure. This was most definitely made with a Northern Rhone profile in mind… tending towards a New World approach that brings more fruit and a softer feel. If structure is your thing (like me), this wine was reaching the end of its drinking window. I would say 2015 – 2020. Not enough tannin, or acidity to be more than a (better) fruity cocktail wine after 10 years. Keep in mind, a value comparison is in order too. This wine is a third of the price (or less) compared to recent vintages of the La Chapelle.

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• 1995 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Hermitage La Chapelle 91 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage

  This wine was enjoyed the least by the group. Everything from the 1994 with even a weaker nose. Showed more fruit than the ’94 and more black pepper on the finish. The structure was up a notch to medium plus acidity and tannin. This wine was a touch disjointed and was missing the elegance of the previous wines completely.

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• 1986 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Hermitage La Chapelle 98 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage

  Amazing! There must have been a provenance problem with the other wines with tasting notes on CT. This bottle came from the original buyer when released. I guess that made the difference! Tasting note below:
  
  This is not everyone’s kind of wine. In fact, I was the only one of the group that put this wine at the top of my list. The nose had a slightly musty, moldy odor that helped you to visualize an old wine cave in France. The complexity is what drew you in. There was blackberry, sweet browned butter, forest floor and black pepper on the nose. The palate was still fruit forward, but was equally matched by the savory flavors from the nose. The black pepper did not show through to the palate. There was a mid-palate of dark chocolate and a long finish. The structure was perfectly balanced. With medium tannin still present and medium plus acidity. The mouth-feel was soft on the attack, becoming fine grained tannin and then finished with a good grip. An amazing wine that showed everything in a world class wine. The rest of the group couldn’t get past the musty nose. For me, it added character. If this is a problem for your sensibility, knock off a couple of points and you will get a more representative score.

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• 1994 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Hermitage La Chapelle 92 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage

  Alcohol was the most prominent characteristic on the nose. The nose was weaker and less complex. More fruit-forward than the others, with some black pepper on the palate at the finish. Much less balance and finesse. with medium tannin and medium acidity. This vintage was definitely not of the same caliber as the 80’s vintage wines previously tasted.

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The Reynvaan was a great comparison. Although much younger, it really captured the difference between Old World Northern Rhone style and our effort here to help it conform better to a New World palate.