Hermitage - La Chapelle 1983 P. Jaboulet
12/95. Bought in auction for $80 May-95 (imported from Chicago for $92 net).
Tonight for Friday dinner at home I decided to try my first Hermitage (not
counting the '78 Chave we had in last year in Paris).
With the reputation of being the most 'manly' wine of France, I though this
wine could stand up to the home-made pizza-like pastry with eggplant paste,
anchovy and hard-boiled egg immersed in soy-sauce, followed by a mild chili
con carne, cheese plate and strawberries in fresh cream. It did!
COLOR: Full dark red, almost black. No change of hues towards the rim. A very
thin transparent circle at the rim.
NOSE: Ah...! Extraordinary perfume of wild fruit and spices, without any trace
of the 'dreaded' Rhone nose. A magnificent attack on the nose with every
sniff. Only after two hours, towards the very end of this heavily sedimented
bottle, the nose became a little tarry and unpleasant.
TASTE: A giant, mouth-filling taste as complex and as multi layered as I have
ever come across. Plenty of dark fruit and exotic nuances attack the palate
with reserved power not yet totally leashed. Soft tannins still felt, though
they do not distract from overall tasting experience. On the contrary. In
spite of the fantastic richness of the wine on the palate, there is the
feeling that there is more to come in years ahead.
LENGTH: Long and lingering. This concentrated juice can really be appreciated
when even the tiniest sip taken and "chewed" is enough to fill the mouth with
fantastic flavors and long aftertaste.
TEXTURE & BALANCE: A real blockbuster. Tons of jammy fruit matched by tannin,
acidity and alcohol. Everything about this wine is 'huge'. The nose, the
taste, the structure and the 'flesh'. Superbly balanced with very long 'legs'
to boost.
OVERALL: A extraordinary wine no doubt! I would imagine this is the kind of
wine Mr. R. Parker would refer to as 'awesome'. I certainly would. Though I
have another bottle, I'll be looking to buy at least two more, so I can drink
one every two years for the next six.
MARK: 19/20.aaaaaaaaBUY MORE? Yes.
Reach Me? 
yak@yakshaya.com
Copyright 1996-2003.
Jacob "Yak" Shaya.