Domaine de la Chapelle : La Chapelle Paul Jaboulet-Aîné 2011

Remarkably mature already, this has an earthy side to its dense black fruits, with a touch of sweet leaf mulch. It's very full-bodied, lush and thick, with piercing acidity and noticeable alcohol. It leans towards overextraction in 2011 and certainly makes an impression.

A gorgeous intensity of plum, spice and grilled meat on the nose. Cloves and hints of dried spices. This is a big, structured La Chappelle. Full and powerful with chewy tannins and a long, long finish. A bit austere and muscular but gorgeous. Tar, spice, dried meat and asphalt. Needs to be aged for at least another five or six years. This is another 1991 in the making.

(made from yields that ranged from 10 to 19 hectoliters per hectare, according to Caroline Frey): Inky ruby. Heady aromas of candied dark berries, incense, violet and licorice, with a smoky topnote that gains strength with aeration. Offers sweet, palate-staining blueberry and cherry-cola flavors that are lifted and sharpened by juicy acidity. Broad, supple and spicy on the finish, which features youthfully chewy tannins and sexy floral pastille and spicecake nuances. This wine is one of the standouts of the vintage in the entire Rhone Valley this vintage. (If you're fortunate enough to own any of the 2010 La Chapelle count your blessings because it's a stunner. While it's years--maybe even decades--away from optimal drinking, there's remarkable depth and power to its black and blue fruit and violet pastille qualities. There are tannins, to be sure, but they fold effortlessly into the wine's lush fruit right now. If you have a few bottles in your cellar, give one a try to see just how impressively it shows in its youth, then hold the rest for later--probably much later.)

Inky dark core that has lost its purple with a maturing ruby rim. Rather mature nose offering black truffle, sous bois, leather, tobacco, sweet dark berries and dried meat. The palate has a great concentration, a backbone of tannin starting to soften, yet far younger on the palate than on the nose. Lush dark plum and blackberry notes with a meaty spiciness and a long vigorous finish. Certainly good drinkability today even though it should last for a very long time.

I've always loved this vintage in the Northern Rhône, which has a sunny, charming, sexy style while always staying light on its feet. The 2011 Hermitage La Chapelle displays a youthful ruby hue to go with plenty of sun-kissed notes of ripe red and black fruits, peppery herbs, sandalwood, fennel, and exotic spices. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, it’s shed most of its baby fat and has an elegant, seamless mouthfeel, reasonable mid-palate density, and still present, ripe tannins that show on the finish. It's a beautiful, complex, satisfying Hermitage that's reminiscent of the 1991 with its balance and weight. It will continue evolving for another two decades.