After a corky bottle one week ago, we re-visited this again last night with a gracious replacement! This showed none of the TCA characters that the last one did.
Dark red with hints of purple in color. Notes of lavender, smoky blueberry pie, black rasberry, mineral, light dried fig, and sweet oak. The palate had a great glycerin filled midsection and a nice bottle sweetness to it. Long tannic finish with a touch of black pepper. This was one of the best Syrahs I've ever had, but by no means would I say 100 pts. good. And, with the # of corked TN's I've seen, and bottle variability, I would not go back on the hunt for more of this. I'm glad I got a good showing though. This bottle has plenty of life left in it, but I certainly would say it's in it's prime drinking window. 95 pts.
So much wine.....so little time!!!
Posts: 7005 | Location: San Francisco | Registered: Jun 20, 2002
1990 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Hermitage La Chapelle - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage (9/11/2009) Wine Guy Weekend Chez Doktas Take 3; 11/09/2009-13/09/2009 (Collingwood, Ontario): Ok, we are splitting hair but as fantastic as the La Chapelle was, it was just a little less "together" than the Chave and I felt is needed a bit more time to come together. In fact, it smelled and tasted like a young syrah with vibrant blackberry nose, a very pure nose of blackberry, coffee hints, blackcherry, vanilla and some mulberry hints. Wow. Stunning purity. Blackberries everywhere and some damn good. Long finish. (98 pts.)
*********************** "I have drunk not to the clouding of my reason, but just so much that I can still surely distinguish the syllables with my tongue." Athenaeus
"Mimik" on cellartracker.com
Posts: 5977 | Location: Montreal | Registered: Feb 21, 2004
1990 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Hermitage La Chapelle - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage (9/11/2009) Wino Guys Weekend (WGW) #3; 9/11/2009-9/12/2009: Opaque, purple/black colour. Brooding nose of celery root, vanilla, sweet black fruit, black olive tapenade, and hints of peach, cassis, and hot stones. Full-bodied, very refined and complex showing notes of peach, cassis, capsicum, celery root, black olive tapenade, and crushed black berry fruits. Long finish, with more celery root and cassis notes joined by just a touch of white pepper. Absolutely majestic! This wine has a long, long life ahead of it and I hope I get the chance to try it again. WOTW and probably my WOTY so far. (99 pts.)
