Tasting Notes
JancisRobinson.com 17+
From The Wine Society’s cellar.Deep garnet. Open and aromatic – both floral (lavender?) and smoked meats. Sounds like a strange combination but it was lovely. Firm, chewy yet smooth. Thickly textured tannins. Full of peppery Syrah and with long life ahead. (JH)
Anticipated maturity: 2015-2040
Robert Parker 97+
The inky colored 2010 Hermitage la Chapelle is a blockbuster in the making, but is certainly not for those craving instant gratification. Massively concentrated and dense, it offers sensational minerality to go with tons of dark fruits, bacon, black olive, beef blood and graphite. Building in the glass and showing more and more mid-palate density and serious amounts of tannin, this serious, chiseled and structured Hermitage needs to be forgotten for another decade.
Anticipated maturity: 2025-2060
Vinous 96
Inky, glass-staining ruby. An exotically perfumed bouquet evokes dark fruit liqueur, smoky Indian spices, potpourri and cracked pepper. Deep but lively, offering palate-coating blueberry and cherry-cola flavors and a sexy note of candied violet. This wine opens up dramatically with a little air and shows a very suave blend of power and finesse. An energizing mineral note comes on strong on the endless finish, which features sexy floral and spicecake nuances.
