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  • Country ranking ?

    1 054
  • Producer ranking ?

    29
  • Decanting time

    1h
  • When to drink

    now to 2035
  • Food Pairing

    Lamb with aubergines

The Tb points given to this wine are the world’s most valid and most up-to-date evaluation of the quality of the wine. Tastingbook points are formed by the Tastingbook algorithm which takes into account the wine ratings of the world's best-known professional wine critics, wine ratings by thousands of tastingbook’s professionals and users, the generally recognised vintage quality and reputation of the vineyard and winery. Wine needs at least five professional ratings to get the Tb score. Tastingbook.com is the world's largest wine information service which is an unbiased, non-commercial and free for everyone.

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The Story

In the heart of the Rhône Valley, this small chapel has become one of the world’s great historic buildings
La Chapelle, the jewel of Maison Jaboulet, has a rich and emotive history. 
During the 13th century, a knight called Gaspard de Sterimberg settled in the hills of Tain l’Hermitage with the permission of Blanche de Castille. On his return from the crusades, he sought calm and serenity and isolated himself as a hermit, hence the name of the Hermitage appellation. There he built a Chapel, overlooking the Rhône Valley. 

La Chapelle endured the passage of time and finally became the property of Maison Paul Jaboulet Aîné in 1919. 
Hermitage “La Chapelle” is a blend of terroirs, including the prestigious hillsides of Méal and Bessards. Each one provides its own aromatic characteristics, as well as an elegant tannin structure, giving the wine great ageing potential.

Since the legendary 1961 vintage, which was classed as one of the Twelve mythical wines of the 20th century, Hermitage “la Chapelle” has become one of the world’s most sought-after wines. 
Its fame has led Maison Paul Jaboulet Aîné to revive a historical tradition by producing a few bottles of 2006 “la Chapelle” white wine. 

The diversity of “terroirs” on these lands gives our wine an identity of its own, thanks to the blending of grapes from different plots.

Soil:
The Syrah vines are planted in rich and varied soils with very diverse terroirs (les Bessards, les Greffieux, le Méal and les Rocoules).
It is the richness of these different terroirs that provides our Hermitage La Chapelle with its complexity.
Grape Variety:
Very old Syrah vines; goblet pruning on stakes.
Age of the vines: 
40 to 60 years.
Vinification: 
Grapes are brought down from the slopes of l’Hermitage on small sledges, after which they are sorted by hand and vinified traditionally in our wineries 
Final blending is carried out during the ageing process and is done through judicious selection from the different terroirs of l’Hermitage.  
Ageing: 
La Chapelle is aged in wood in our ancient “VINEUM” cellar for 15 to 18 months. During this process the wines are also racked.
Yield: 
Low yields of 10 to 18 hl/ha.

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Wine Information

A dazzling wine, the dark garnet/amber color of the 1949 La Chapelle is accompanied by aromas of molasses, exotic Asian spices, roasted duck, prune, and blackberry liqueur. In the mouth, this expansive, full-bodied, exotic wine exhibited terrific sweetness, awesome glycerin levels, sweet tannin, and, in addition to the aforementioned aromatic characteristics, coffee flavors. Full-bodied as well as extremely fresh, this offering not only drank fabulously well out of the bottle, but held up in the glass until I couldn’t defer my gratification any longer. This was the first time I tasted the 1949 La Chapelle, so I do not know what other bottles have revealed, but this was a profound example of a mature La Chapelle that has lived 50+ years with nary a blemish.' (94)
ROBERT PARKER’S – WINE ADVOCATE 06/2000

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Average Bottle Price

2023 2020 2015
2 450€ +23.4% 1 985€ +18.2% 1 680€

This data comes from the FINE Auction Index, a composite of average prices for wines sold at commercial auctions in 20 countries. The average prices from each year have been collected since 1990. This chart plots the index value of the average price of the wines.

Tasting note

color

Deep, Brick red and Healthy

ending

Medium and Extensive

flavors

Blackberry, Pepper, Coffee, Cedar, Leather and Nutty

nose

Open, Generous, Refined and Rich

recommend

Yes

taste

High in Acidity, Balanced, Well-structured, Medium-bodied and Round

Verdict

Oxidised

Written Notes

The first wine was an incredible bottle of what it was. The nose was full of beef, menthol, intense spice and garden fresh herbs. Deep like a black forest at midnight, this wine had a gorgeous palate to match, less intense than the nose in its fruit but still great with its enormous acidity and length. There were lots of oohs and aahs
  • 97p
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Information

Origin

Hermitage, Rhône

Vintage Quality

Outstanding

Value For Money

Very good

Fake factory

Serious

Glass time

1h

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Côte du Rhône Parallèle 45 Rouge

Côte-Rôtie

Côte-Rôtie Les Jumelles

Côtes du Rhône Parallèle 45

Crozes-Hermitage Blanc " Domaine Mule Blanche

Crozes-Hermitage Domaine de Thalabert

Crozes-Hermitage Les Jalets Blanc

Crozes-Hermitage Les Jalets Rouge

Gigondas ‘Pierre Aiguille'

Hermitage La Chapelle Blanc

Hermitage Le Chevalier de Sterimberg

Saint-Joseph Domaine de la Croix des Vignes

Inside Information

'Deep, black molasses colour. Nose of toffee, toast and violets. Whiff of liquorice. Taste of pure toast. Huge richness of fruit. Great sweetness. So soft and ripe and beautiful. Perfect framework. Sheer joy. So seductive. The tannin is there but eclipsed by fruit and the sun!'
SERENA SUTCLIFFE, MW 09/2000

'A dazzling wine, the dark garnet/amber color of the 1949 La Chapelle is accompanied by aromas of molasses, exotic Asian spices, roasted duck, prune, and blackberry liqueur. In the mouth, this expansive, full-bodied, exotic wine exhibited terrific sweetness, awesome glycerin levels, sweet tannin, and, in addition to the aforementioned aromatic characteristics, coffee flavors. Full-bodied as well as extremely fresh, this offering not only drank fabulously well out of the bottle, but held up in the glass until I couldn’t defer my gratification any longer. This was the first time I tasted the 1949 La Chapelle, so I do not know what other bottles have revealed, but this was a profound example of a mature La Chapelle that has lived 50+ years with nary a blemish.' (94)
ROBERT PARKER’S – WINE ADVOCATE 06/2000

'Magnificent colour. Very full and very vigorous. Fabulous nose. This is still very alive and vigorous and is quite magical. Silky smooth. Very complex. Very classy and very intense. This is indisputably a very great example. Very elegant fruit flavours. Fullish and very vigorous still. Splendidly ripe and impeccably balanced. Very very long on the palate. Fabulous! A great, great wine. Will still keep.'
THE VINE CLIVE COATES, MW 12/1999

'This is 50 years old but still young and in perfect condition. Much riper than the '53, it's full-bodied and loaded with terroir and concentrated plum, mineral, blackberry and chestnut. Balanced and sweet-tasting, with firm but ripe tannins and a long finish. Drink now through 2030.' (99)
WINE SPECTATOR 12/1999

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