2009 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Hermitage La Chapelle

Community Tasting Notes (32) Avg Score: 94.9 points

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  12/8/2020 - ilee Likes this wine: 97 Points

  I've always had a soft spot for this wine, as it is the same vintage as my son. At 11 years of age, boy shows no sign of maturation, but wine does! Popping and pouring, I feared I might be whacked in the nose by a freshly-sawn wooden plank. But instead, there were beautiful secondary notes of black cherry, leather, tar, dried flowers, rosemary, too many to name. Of course there's still a very strong oaky creamy note, but not of the wobbly sour kind one typically finds in very young wines. No, this wine is well into the teenage years, without any hint of awkwardness. Fruit and tannin are still battling it out, but not so fiercely as before. And fruit will win for sure, it is robust, vibrant and has decades left in the tank. They say the first person to live to 140 has already been born. Perhaps so has the first wine?

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  7/26/2020 - Lord of the Bottles Likes this wine: 94 Points

  Decanted for about a half hour, then drank over an hour. Dark ruby. Dark fruit nose which needed some coaxing. Palate of mostly red fruit with some black fruit. Just a hint of spice, difficult to place (nutmeg or clove). Over time the finish of red fruit got longer and more persistent, but remained one dimensional. A little overwhelmed by our Sunday roast beef which was surprising for this cuvee in my experience. Plush and hedonistic, if tasted blind I would have struggled to place Northern Rhone (let alone Hermitage LC) as comes across as a very modern, almost New World Cabernet. Well made and quaffable but lacking a sense of place (Rhone rangers watch out!). 93-94. Hold for many years to see if complexity develops or drink now if you like ‘em fruity.

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  7/25/2020 - jsmorris707 Likes this wine: 97 Points

  Double decanted for an hour, deep ruby, dark fruit with spices, med. tannins, long finish; outstanding, drink or hold, just entering what should be a long plateau

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  7/18/2020 - MatthewJEd Likes this wine: 95 Points

  Tasted with Garrick Steak. On hour decant. Definitely ready to drink now, but promises of more to come.

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  7/16/2020 - Shugs_Claret wrote: 98 Points

  Beautiful structure and concentration. This will continue evolve but was irresistible now.

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