2019 Hermitage La Chapelle
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Tasting notes
Very deep blackish crimson. Smells very ripe, almost overripe! Overdone? Certain needs a bit more freshness. Bit of heat on the end. BIG! And even a bit blowsy. Maybe it will come into balance but for now it’s a little bit formless and hollow. (JR)
Critic scores
Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider
More reviews and scores
Dark, vivid purple. Highly perfumed, mineral- and spice-accented aromas of blackberry, cherry preserves, incense, olive and pungent flowers show superb clarity. Sappy and penetrating on the palate, offering deeply concentrated and sharply defined black and blue fruit preserve, candied violet, bitter chocolate and fruitcake flavors that become livelier as the wine opens up. Finishes wonderfully long with an emphatic, mineral cut, a repeating floral note and youthfully gripping tannins.
Showing even better than when I tasted it last year, the 2019 Hermitage La Chapelle is another ripe, powerful, sexy, and full-bodied example of this cuvée that brings classic La Chapelle gamey darker fruits as well as smoked meats, chocolate, sandalwood, and peppery spice. Full-bodied on the palate, it has good concentration, lots of ripeness, polished tannins, and a great, great finish. As with the 2018, it's opened up beautifully on the palate since I tasted it at the domaine and is a ripe, expansive, pure, beautiful Hermitage.