-
98
/ 100
Jane Anson -
97
/ 100
The Drinks Business -
19.5
/ 20
Matthew Jukes -
94-96
/ 100
Vinous
Red
Classification
Syrah
Variety
2022
Vintage
750ml (Bottle)
Bottle Size
France
Country
Rhone Valley, Hermitage
Region
13.5%
Alcohol %
10-15 Years
Cellaring
Scores
98 / 100"A wonderful glass of wine, juicy, controlled, restrained, fragrant, enticing. The tannins are cashmere smooth, waves of crushed raspberries and wild strawberries fill the mouth, and this is easy to fall in love with. Fine tannins, blackberry and cranberry fruits, softly sweet while retaining grip and power. 21ha of vines. Caroline Frey owner and winemaker. Gregory Joannes-Hurst director."
- Jane Anson
97 / 100
"Hermitage La Chapelle (Domaine La Chapelle) 2022 (Hermitage; 100% Syrah; 14% alcohol; tasted at La Lagune with Caroline and Delphine Frey around a month before bottling; then at the Joanne tasting in July). A little closed at first, but it opens nicely with gentle aeration. Walnut and walnut oil. Dark berry fruits. Sloe and plums, maybe a little damson and black cherry with a little coaxing. Peony, hyacinth, mimosa. Graphite. Earthy, with a little leafy, humous/sous bois note. Sage too. Plump. This has a lovely shape, texture and form in the mouth, pushing at the cheeks just a little. Despite the sustained intensity of the record heat of the vintage, the exceptional terroir has retained an essential freshness. As Caroline Frey explains, everything on granitic soils coped so well despite this being the hottest vintage ever. A lovely trace of liquorice on the finish where one finds also chewy grape skins. - Colin Hay"
- The Drinks Business
19.5 / 20
"There is a beautifully discreet perfume here with a lovely balance of pure, ripe Syrah notes and deeply innervating savoury spices. The colour is glossy Tyrean purple, and the texture hints at viscosity but flows like liquid Mercury across the palate. In the past, La Chapelle has felt angry and restless in the glass, moody about having its slumber interrupted, but this glorious 2022 vintage appears to be the model of refinement, welcoming the attention with charm and openness. 2022 was a warm vintage, and at times, Caroline and her team were concerned about hydric stress as local oak trees dried out and hedgerow flora withered. But vines protect themselves, and while all about looked parched, her La Chapelle vines were green and vigorous. This is a testament to this great site, its noble soils, the passionate organic regime here and the elemental powers that have made this wine so famous. Considering this beautiful wine’s deportment, one might compare its silhouette not to a Northern Rhône but a Côte de Nuits from Burgundy. This is one of the most elegant, ethereal and hauntingly refreshing Syrah I have tasted, and with beguiling complexity and prodigious length, 2022 is another landmark vintage for this legendary label."
- Matthew Jukes
94-96 / 100
"The promising 2022 Hermitage La Chapelle checks in at 14.2% alcohol. Pronounced peppercorn, crushed violets, blueberry, black cherry, cedar and licorice are all pushed forward. Layered and deep, the 2022 exudes wonderful elegance and freshness despite its marked flavor concentration. Powdery tannins gently structure this outgoing La Chapelle, finishing with a discrete salty sensation on the persistent finish. - Nicolas Greinacher"
- Vinous
Tasting Notes
Jaboulet's Hermitage La Chapelle is undoubtedly one of the greatest red wines in the world. Named after a tiny chapel (built by the knight Gaspard de Stérimberg in 1235) sitting at the highest point of the appellation's steepest hillside, this incredibly concentrated wine requires a minimum of ten years' keeping before it can unveil the full breadth of its aromas. The grapes are all destemmed, and harvested as late as possible. After a long vatting (25 days on average), the wine is matured in barrels (25% new wood) for a period of 12 to 16 months. In its youth, Hermitage la Chapelle is distinguished by its dark colour, developing incredibly intense aromas. Slightly woody, with hints of spice and very ripe wild fruits in its youth, La Chapelle develops licorice, candied fruit, mushroom, leather and undergrowth aromas after many years of ageing. The imposing structure of this exceptional wine offers a perfect combination of power, character and refinement. With its phenomenal longevity, Jaboulet's Hermitage la Chapelle easily matches the best red wines of Bordeaux or Burgundy.
Tasting Profile
- Light
- Full
- Low Tannin
- Tannic
- Sweet
- Dry
- Low Acidity
- High Acidity