Paul Jaboulet Aine, Hermitage, La Chapelle Rouge 1990

The 1990 La Chapelle is the sexy and opulent. I had the 1990 at the Jaboulet tasting, and again out of a double magnum three months ago. On both occasions it was spectacular, clearly meriting a three-digit score. The modern day equivalent of the 1961, it deserves all the attention it has garnered.

The color remains an opaque purple, with only a slight pink at the edge. Spectacular aromatics offer up aromas of incense, smoke, blackberry fruit, cassis, barbecue spice, coffee, and a touch of chocolate. As it sits in the glass, additional nuances of pepper and grilled steak emerge. There is extraordinary freshness for such a mammoth wine in addition to abundant tannin, an amazing 60-second finish, and a level of glycerin and thick, fleshy texture that have to be tasted to be believed.

Despite its youthfulness, the 1990 La Chapelle is lovely to drink, although it will be even better with another 5-6 years of cellaring; it should age for 35-40 years.

Drink 2005 - 2050

Jaboulet's Hermitage La Chapelle 1961, 1978 and 1990 are considered to be among the greatest wines ever made in the Rhône Valley. The 1990 was sourced from Les Bessards, Le Méal and Les Rocoules, with the vines at the time between 40 and 60 years old. The grapes were hand-harvested, destemmed and macerated for three to four weeks, then matured in barrel for 15-18 months, 20% new wood. It's still amazingly dark in colour, with an immediately intense, savoury expression on the nose reminiscent of beef stock. Dried roses and roasted beef bones come through on the medium- to full-bodied palate, but there's also still fruit, not yet dried out at all. There's a touch of mint on the finish and a prickle of furry tannins. This still has a good sense of density and drive - an extraordinary wine with a reputation that's fully deserved.

Drink 2019 - 2050

When Caroline Frey took over in 1996, Jancis Robinson had just published an article called The Rise and Fall of La Chapelle, pointing out the many issues that had befallen this iconic name in the previous decade. Bottle variation may definitely be an issue, but this 1990 - tasted during a recent vertical of the estate at 67 Pall Mall club in London - was glorious, and the wine of the night for me. Silky soft tannins, melted into the structure but still offering a graceful hold to the softly spoken spiced blackberry fruits. Hard to believe but even at 33 years old it takes time to fully open, getting better in the glass.

Drink 2023 - 2035

Gorgeous aromas of dark berry, dried meat, dried berry, game, wet earth and licorice. Floral. Full body with a wonderful texture of dried fruits, spices and berries. Very dense and muscular with wonderful balance and length. Dense and intense. Blockbuster style.

I tasted the 1990 Hermitage La Chapelle from two bottles, and while unquestionably a brilliant wine, neither were quite at the level of prior bottles which have consistently topped out my scale. It's worth pointing out that both bottles had been recorked at the domaine in 2020. The 1990 is a classic, mature La Chapelle with its standard meaty, gamey aromatics of currants, soy, liquid smoke, and leather aromas and flavors. Full-bodied on the palate, it's beautifully concentrated and opulent, with resolved tannins, a notable sense of freshness, and outstanding length. Both bottles were fully mature I rated the first bottle 96 points) and there's certainly no upside here, but they will unquestionably continue drinking well for another decade or more.

Drink 2022 - 2034

Rh?ne lovers were out in full force on this night. Sadly, I only got to taste a handful of the wines being passed around. Still, these were four of the greatest wines I have ever tasted. The 1990 La Chapelle held its own in this grouping, and then some. The purity of the fruit and the wine’s finish were mind-bending.