Community Tasting Note

• Ex-Ray Likes this wine: 100 points

  April 21, 2013 - With '86 Lafite Rothschild at 131 Main, with steaks and BBQ ribs. Both wines were perfect, equally outstanding, but completely different styles. La Chapelle was dark garnet-purple and still completely opaque, no sign of lightening at the edges. The aroma had an initial pronounced herbal-bell pepper tone, which gradually changed over several hours to become deeper and richer, with some bacon fat, mocha, and dark fruits/cassis components. Very concentrated but perfectly balanced flavors which improved over several hours. Initially closed and moderately tannic, it opened up completely. Tannins melted away, to show a perfectly balanced, complex series of flavors from cassis, blackberries, powerful but silky. Full-bodied, drank like a wine much younger than its 23 years. One of the longest and most memorable aftertastes of any wine I've tasted in 40+ years, just didn't quit. Four hours after opening it's still getting better, and there's still a glass left! Two bottles left: considering how it has evolved over several hours, I would open the others several hours before serving, to let it soften and develop its complexities. This wine will last for years.
  Ric

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