Domaine Paul Jaboulet Aine - Hermitage red La Chapelle 1999

Wine Region: Rhone Valley - France

Grape: 100% Syrah | Organic certification

Tasting notes: "Jaboulet’s view of its most famous wine seems to have changed. Although the concentrated, dense tannins and big black fruit flavors are still there, it has lost the huge brooding presence of past vintages, and now has a veneer of sophistication with superripe fruit, plums and dark jam tastes." Wine Enthusiast

"Saturated medium ruby. Deep, highly concentrated aroma of black fruits, bitter chocolate, shoe polish and humus. Thick but bright on entry, then quite full and consistent through to the very long whiplash of a finish. Really stuffed with fruit, and beautifully balanced. Dense flavors of cassis, violet, bitter chocolate and Cuban tobacco. Substantial ripe tannins are thoroughly buffered by the wine fat. A great showing today. Jaboulet used helicopters to dry the fruit after the showers, then picked quickly." Vinous

Expert Rating: Wine Enthusiast 94/100 | Vinous 93-95/100

About the winery:Undoubtedly one of the greatest names in the Rhône Valley, Paul Jaboulet Aîné was founded in 1834 by Antoine Jaboulet and is perhaps best known for its flagship La Chapelle, of which the 1961 vintage still holds the title as one of the greatest wines ever made. A series of mishaps in the 1990s threw the estate in disarray and it took the financial might of the Frey family to set the estate on a path to recovery.

Since 2006, the Frey family have accomplished an impressive feat at Paul Jaboulet Aine by taking this historic estate to its rightful place as the first growth of the Rhone. With their experience at Chateau La Lagune in Bordeaux, the Frey family saw the potential in Jaboulet’s vineyards, including the important and iconic vineyard, Hermitage La Chapelle.

Caroline Frey has since taken over as owner and winemaker of Paul Jaboulet Aine and within 10 years, enabled Paul Jaboulet Aine to attain organic certification.