Paul Jaboulet Aîné, La Chapelle, Hermitage 2013 1500ml

97 POINTS

Jane Anson - Decanter

Tasted at Château La Lagune, owner Caroline Frey's Bordeaux outpost. One of the legendary wines from Hermitage Hil, La Chapelle comes from pretty much the only spot on the Rhone's Left Bank where you find granite, along with the classic galet stones. The Jaboulet style is to blend their plots from across the hill, resulting in the stunning power of this wine. The complexity here is of the kind that reveals a truly great wine. There are so many things happening, graphite, slate, fleshy layers of blackberry fruits that collide immediately afterwards by a tightly controlled edge of tannins, then the whole thing finishes slowly, cleanly. Incredible.

95 POINTS

Josh Raynolds - Vinous

Bright purple. Sexy, highly perfumed scents of ripe boysenberry, cherry cola, smoky Indian spices and potpourri take on a vibrant mineral quality in the glass. Smooth, expansive and impressively deep, showing a surprisingly delicate touch to the sweet black and blue fruit, floral pastille and spicecake flavors. Smooth, slow-building tannins come up slowly and add focus to an extremely long, juicy, mineral- and floral-driven finish.

95 POINTS

Jeb Dunnuck - Robert Parker Wine Advocate

The 2013 Hermitage la Chapelle will be a step back from the 2012, yet is still beautiful Hermitage that has real depth and character. It has lots of liquid-rock-like minerality, damp earth, cracked pepper and sweet black raspberry fruit, as well as medium to full-bodied weight, good concentrated and bright acidity. Like a lot of upper tier 2013s, it should be relatively unfriendly in its youth, and require short-term cellaring.

95 POINTS

Jeb Dunnuck - Robert Parker Wine Advocate

A much more structured, even austere, Hermitage than the La Petite Chapelle release, the 2013 Hermitage la Chapelle came from minuscule yields of ten to 18 hectoliters per hectare and was aged 15-18 months in 20% new French oak. Not harvested until the 12th of October, it offers a sensational bouquet of blackberry and black raspberry fruits, powdered rock, gunpowder and pepper. Medium to full-bodied, with good (though maybe not great) levels of concentration, it has high, yet beautifully polished tannin, integrated acidity, and terrific cut and focus on the finish. Give bottles 4-5 years of cellaring and enjoy over the following two decades.

94 POINTS

Josh Raynolds - Vinous

Inky purple. Heady, mineral-accented aromas of dried cherry, blackberry and pungent herbs, with a sexy potpourri nuance building in the glass. Juicy, concentrated and broad, offering vibrant cherry compote and licorice pastille flavors and a hint of fruitcake. Supple, fine-grained tannins give shape to the penetrating, smoky finish, which leaves sappy black and blue fruit notes behind. Points: 93-95

94 POINTS

James Suckling

Plenty of pepper on the nose. This has a striking, granitic influence with graphite, black stones, beef fat and sweet spices, as well as plenty of star anise and dark, rich plums. The palate has rich, deep fleshy fruit that has really filled out nicely. Tannins are fine and gently grippy. There's plenty of dark plum flesh with some mocha and chocolate, too. Acidity is bright. Drinking well now, but will shine from 2025.

90 POINTS

Wine Spectator

Features a slightly taut frame, with singed cedar and balsamic notes clipping the wings of the red currant, cherry paste and plum fruit flavors. Tar and sage details line the finish. There's some depth here and good ripeness for the vintage, but not the volume or range of the best wines from this appellation.

90 POINTS

James Suckling

A lighter La Chapelle with blueberry and crushed pepper character. Medium to full body, fine tannins and a fresh finish.