Hermitage La Chapelle Jaboulet 1998

Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle 1988 is a mature-vintage, single-vineyard Syrah red wine from the Hermitage appellation of the northern Rhône Valley. This cuvée is named after the tiny chapel which sits atop the hill of Hermitage overlooking the river Tain which runs through the valley. The chapel was purchased by the Jaboulet family in 1919 and has give then name to their iconic Hermitage red ever since. On the 1988 La Chapelle. "The 1988 La Chapelle from Paul Jaboulet Âiné is one of the excellent and often overlooked vintages of this outstanding Hermitage from the decade of the 1980s. This most recent bottle was outstanding and fully into its apogee of peak drinkability, wafting from the glass in a complex and classic aromatic blend of black raspberries, cassis, pepper, hot stones, black olive, grilled meats, cigar ash and a smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and à point, with a lovely core of fruit, superb focus and balance, melting tannins and excellent length and grip on the beautifully resolved finish. A classic year of La Chapelle with decades of life still ahead of it."John Gilman, 2019