Robert Parker (98)
Last year, I giddily speculated whether the 2019 Hermitage La Chapelle would warrant a 100-point score. While close—and I wouldn't completely discount it reaching that pinnacle in another decade or two—I'm not sure this wine is as good as I thought. It boasts exciting aromas of roasted meat, mocha, crushed stone, plum and cassis on the nose. It's full-bodied, concentrated, richly tannic and velvety in texture. It's long and complex on the finish, adding hints of cracked pepper and salted licorice. And yet, as much as I enjoyed tasting it and as undeniably great it is, angels didn't sing from the heavens. Maybe next bottle.
James Suckling (97)
Rich, intense and exotic, this boasts racy peach, orange zest, acacia, nectarine and tangerine notes at the core, while white ginger, green tea and bitter grapefruit fill the finish. A lovely minerality courses underneath, showing impressive length.
BOW (9)
Falstaff (100)
Very dark in colour. A bouquet at the intersection of fresh fruit (wild blueberry), spicy (menthol, black pepper and juniper), ripe fruit (black cherry and raisin), with a little wood. On the palate, the wine has a maximum of the finest tannins; despite its immense density, the wine has no astringency whatsoever. The acidity and tactile minerality hold together the sweet, full, oily body, yet somehow it seems weightless and delicate. Very, very long.
