Maison Paul Jaboulet Aîné was established in 1834 when Antoine Jaboulet set up his business in Tain l’Hermitage with the aim of producing great wines. He saw his future profession as limited to cultivating the vineyards and maintaining the quality of the land. It was with this mindset that he quickly acquired his first vineyards on the Hermitage slopes and the Crozes Hermitage plains. The six generations who followed him, including sons Paul and Henry and later, the celebrated Gerard, adopted an identical approach.
The jewel in the Jaboulet collection has always been the legendary ‘La Chapelle’ Hermitage, a great red wine made purely from Syrah, which owes its name to the famous little Sainte Christophe chapel which overlooks the Hermitage vineyards. ‘La Chapelle’ which has been solely owned by Paul Jaboulet Aîné since 1919 is made by blending grapes from the best terroirs in the appellation (Meal, les Bessards, les Rocoules, etc.). The 1961 ‘La Chapelle’ was ranked amongst the 12 greatest wines of the 20th century by the Wine Spectator.
The name of Hermitage La Chapelle is linked to the little chapel of Saint-Christophe overlooking the terraced vineyards along the Rhône. Maison Paul Jaboulet Aîné has been the sole owner since 1919.
The diversity of “terroirs” on these lands gives the wine an identity of its own, thanks to the blending of grapes from different plots.
The Syrah vines are planted in rich and varied soils with very diverse terroirs (les Bessards, les Greffieux, le Méal and les Rocoules).
It is the richness of these different terroirs that provides our Hermitage La Chapelle with its complexity.
97 Points Decanter
There’s a little rust to the ruby colour now. It has fullness and generosity still on the palate, not to mention fruit and tannin, even after 30 years. It’s taken on black olive truffle, sweet turned earth and worked leather at this stage. The acidity is strong, and it still has a great sense of vitality and salinity. Wonderfully long finish. From lieux-dits Les Roucoules, Le Méal, Les Greffieux, Les Bessards and Varogne.
96 Points James Suckling
Who says that 1991 was only outstanding for Côte-Rôtie? All about finesse and beauty. Full body with super-fine tannins and a superb length and finesse. The finish goes on for minutes with sous bois, Cameroon black pepper cloves and dried meat. Florals. Really subtle and intense.