Hermitage La Chapelle, Domaine Paul Jaboulet Aine 2017

Reminding me of the 2009 La Chapelle (which is a personal favorite), the brilliant 2017 Hermitage La Chapelle knocks it out of the park with its massive, opulent personality. Notes of smoked black fruits, scorched earth, burning embers, and graphite as well as subtle background meatiness flow to a monster of a Hermitage that has full-bodied richness, incredible depth of fruit, and an overwhelming, sexy style that’s already impossible to resist. Do your best to hide bottles for 4-5 years, but it’s going to evolve for 40 years or more. There are roughly 2,000 cases of this elixir, and every Syrah lover out there should have a bottle (or more) in their cellar. 2024 - 2064

The 2017 Hermitage La Chapelle comes from the firm's vineyards on the western half of the Hermitage slope, primarily Le Méal, but with substantial contributions from Les Rocoules and Les Bessards. Classic notes of cassis, black olives, mocha and roasted meat are joined by hints of baking spices in a wine that's full-bodied, deep, dense and rich, with a velvety texture and a lingering finish. It's lower in alcohol than the 2018, less voluptuous and maybe just a step behind that monumental wine, but it's still a serious collectible with three decades of evolution ahead of it.

The inky colored 2017 Hermitage La Chapelle comes all from the Le Méal (50%), Les Bessards (25%), and Rocoules (25%) and was brought up in 15% new oak, with the balance in once-used, twice-used, and older barrels and demi-muids, A magical wine in the making, with some resemblance to the 2009, its deep purple color is followed by a ripe, layered, incredibly sexy wine loaded with notions of blackberries, black raspberries, crushed rocks, spice, and new saddle leather. Fresh, vibrant, and layered, with a flamboyant style that's already almost impossible to resist, it's a gorgeous wine that will keep for 3+ decades.

In need of serious air to open up, the 2017 Hermitage La Chapelle became more and more impressive the longer I kept it in the glass. At first it seemed a bit simple, if admirably plummy and rich, but by the time ten minutes had elapsed, it was showing off elegant notes of crushed stone, pencil shavings and cassis, while remaining full-bodied, rich and concentrated. It's velvety and long on the finish, but something left me wanting a bit more. It's surely a great La Chapelle, but will it reach that elusive triple-digit score?