Hermitage La Chapelle Jaboulet 2016 (750ML)

96 Points, Joe Czerwinski: "Sourced from the granitic western portion of the appellation, the 2016 Hermitage La Chapelle features mouthwatering aromas of black olives and charred beef. It's full-bodied and creamy-velvety in texture, incredibly lush without being overtly fruity. In fact, it's largely savory, with elegant shadings of leather and spice on the long, silky finish. Yet despite being delicious now, this still has the granite backbone to age through 2040." 10/18

96-98 Points, Josh Raynolds: "(raised in 20% new oak) Dark purple. A highly expressive, mineral-accented bouquet evokes fresh blackberry and blueberry, candied flowers, incense and exotic spices. Sweet, palate-staining black and blue fruit liqueur and violet pastille flavors are complicated by suggestions of cracked pepper and bitter chocolate; a spicecake nuance gains strength with aeration. Steadily building tannins add shape and grip to the extremely long, incisive finish, which emphatically repeats the floral and mineral notes. I wouldn't be surprised to see this wine turn out as well as the amazing 2015 version." 6/18

96 Points, John Gilman, View from the Cellar: “The 2016 vintage of La Chapelle is everything one would expect from the confluence of a brilliantly old school, classic vintage and one of the most iconic red wine bottlings in the Rhône Valley. The wine comes in listed at 14.5 percent octane and offers up a vibrant, complex and very pure bouquet of cassis, smoked meats, pepper, beautiful spice tones, stony minerality, a bit of saddle leather, woodsmoke and a nice framing of cedary oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and beautifully balanced, with a rock solid core of fruit, great mineral drive, ripe firm tannins and a long, nascently complex and very, very promising finish. This is perhaps just a touch higher in octane, but it reminds me very strongly of the great 1989 La Chapelle when it was first released. It will be interesting to follow the 2016 over the coming decades and see if the slightly riper character of this wine will impinge upon its longevity, in comparison to past legendary vintages of La Chapelle such as 1978, 1988, 1989 and 1990 (all of which were plenty ripe out of the blocks). But, upon release, this has everything one could ask for to deliver future greatness! 2030-2100.” 11/20

97 Points, Jeb Dunnuck, jebdunnuck.com: "The 2016 Hermitage La Chapelle is slightly denser than the 2017 and is a bigger, richer, more structured wine than the La Maison Bleue. Crème de cassis, blackberries, crushed rocks, ozone, scorched earth, and violet notes all emerge from this beautifully classic, elegant, seamless wine that carries full-bodied richness, building tannins, and a big finish, all while staying in the classic, elegant, balanced style of the vintage. It has plenty of tannins and is a quintessential La Chapelle that will have three decades of longevity." 12/18