2012 Paul Jaboulet Aine Hermitage La Chapelle

Wine Advocate (WA)

The first year where winemaker Caroline Frey really feels her organic farming drive paid off, the 2012 Hermitage la Chapelle is a gorgeous effort that shows the purity and texture of the vintage, as well as the class of the le Meal lieu-dit. Offering up classic black raspberry and sweet dark fruit, Asian spice, toasted bread, licorice and savory herbs, this beauty is full-bodied, beautifully concentrated and has enough tannic grip to demand 4-5 years of bottle age. It will have 3+ decades of longevity.

Vinous Media (VM)

Saturated ruby. Seductively perfumed bouquet displays suave black and blue fruit liqueur, potpourri and incense aromas underscored by a smoky mineral quality. Gains power and spiciness with air, picking up a sexy floral pastille quality that builds in the glass. Sweet, palate-coating blueberry and cherry-cola flavors are superbly concentrated yet lively thanks to juicy acidity and a zesty peppery nuance. Strikingly vibrant, linear and long on the finish, with the mineral and floral notes emphatically repeating. - Josh Raynolds. Tasting date: December 2014