The 2019 Paul Jaboulet Aine Hermitage la Chapelle is a Syrah from the Northern Rhone region of France. This red wine, produced by Paul Jaboulet Aine, features a cork closure and has an alcohol content of 15.5%. The wine has garnered a range of reviews from several professional wine critics, generally indicating a high-quality, complex offering with significant aging potential.
James Suckling awarded this wine a score of 95, describing it as "a big, rich wine with intense fruit," highlighting notes of blackberry, black olive, and black truffle. He noted that it is "full-bodied and layered with chewy tannins that are soft and juicy," and while he found the finish slightly warm, he praised its overall decadence and balance, recommending to try it after 2024.
Jeb Dunnuck rated it even higher, with a score of 97. He found it "another ripe, powerful, sexy, and full-bodied example" of this cuvée, lauding its classic Hermitage profile of "gamey darker fruits as well as smoked meats, chocolate, sandalwood, and peppery spice." He commented on its "good concentration, lots of ripeness, polished tannins, and a great, great finish," noting that it has opened up beautifully since he last tasted it.
Joe Czerwinski from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate gave the highest score of 98 points, expressing some initial excitement about its potential to reach a perfect score in the future. He admired its "exciting aromas of roasted meat, mocha, crushed stone, plum and cassis," and appreciated its "full-bodied, concentrated, richly tannic and velvety" texture. Yet, he concluded that, while undeniably great, it didn’t quite reach the pinnacle he anticipated.
Vinous' Josh Raynolds also gave the wine a high score of 97, emphasizing its "highly perfumed, mineral- and spice-accented aromas of blackberry, cherry preserves, incense, olive and pungent flowers." He praised its "deeply concentrated and sharply defined" flavors and noted a wonderfully long finish with a mineral cut and floral note.
Decanter offered a more cautious review with a score of 94, finding the wine "distinctly closed at the time of tasting, with some underlying smoky hints." They noted its intensity and focus, but pointed out that the hard tannins and slight bitterness might benefit from more time to develop.
Wine Spectator provided a score of 92, describing it as a "modern-styled, powerful red" with rich flavors of blackberry ganache, cassis, and vanilla paste, underscored by tobacco and charred cedar. They suggested it has a bright finish with firm tannins and recommended drinking it through 2030.
Overall, the 2019 Paul Jaboulet Aine Hermitage la Chapelle is a robust and multi-layered Syrah that has impressed critics with its depth, complexity, and aging potential.