Domaine de la Chapelle : La Chapelle Paul Jaboulet-Aîné 2019

A modern-styled, powerful red that seduces with rich blackberry ganache, heady cassis and vanilla paste flavors underscored by tobacco and charred cedar. A bitter orange peel note and a firm graphite edge add brightness to the finish, which is framed in silky yet firm tannins. Drink now through 2030. 1,000 cases imported.

Distinctly closed at the time of tasting, with some underlying smoky hints. Not terribly full-bodied, but certainly intense and focused on the palate. Some hard tannins on the finish that will take a long time to adequately soften, and there's a hint of bitterness – I'm keen to taste this again in bottle to see the finished blend. Has good balance and vibrancy overall, though the alcohol is a little raised.

A big, rich wine with intense fruit, showing blackberry, black olive and black truffle character. Full-bodied and layered with chewy tannins that are soft and juicy. It’s a little warm on the finish. Yet, the decadence is so attractive and the phenolics keep it in line. This is very solid. Try after 2024.

Dark, vivid purple. Highly perfumed, mineral- and spice-accented aromas of blackberry, cherry preserves, incense, olive and pungent flowers show superb clarity. Sappy and penetrating on the palate, offering deeply concentrated and sharply defined black and blue fruit preserve, candied violet, bitter chocolate and fruitcake flavors that become livelier as the wine opens up. Finishes wonderfully long with an emphatic, mineral cut, a repeating floral note and youthfully gripping tannins.

Deeply colored, the wine is equally rich on the palate. With a smoke, licorice, blackberry, dark cherry, wet earth, and spicy nose to start things off, the palate is richly textured with layers of dark, black, earthy, mildly, salty-tinged fruit. Powerful, yet elegant, refined, long, and deep. This graceful wine will age for decades. Another point, the wine shows no influence of oak as they have completely changed their approach to new oak for the aging process. Now, the wine is aged in a combination of 15% new French oak barrels, used barrels, and a small portion of concrete egg-shaped vats. Drink from 2030-2060.

Showing even better than when I tasted it last year, the 2019 Hermitage La Chapelle is another ripe, powerful, sexy, and full-bodied example of this cuvée that brings classic La Chapelle gamey darker fruits as well as smoked meats, chocolate, sandalwood, and peppery spice. Full-bodied on the palate, it has good concentration, lots of ripeness, polished tannins, and a great, great finish. As with the 2018, it's opened up beautifully on the palate since I tasted it at the domaine and is a ripe, expansive, pure, beautiful Hermitage.