Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A blend of Le Méal (structure) and Les Bessards (flesh), the dark granitic stony influence is striking with smoky, dark stony minerals and peppery nuances. The fruit is in the blackberry, raspberry and red plum spectrum. The palate has an impressive fluid core of supple dark and red plum fruits with an undercarriage of smooth, muscular tannins. Nice balance. Drink from 2020 and beyond.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
While not at the level of the 2015, 2010 or 2009, the 2014 Hermitage La Chapelle is certainly a success and sports a deep ruby color as well as classic, medium to full-bodied notes of smoked meats, crushed violets, spice, black raspberries and currants. Elegant, seamless, finesse-driven and beautifully layered, with impeccable tannin quality, it will keep for two decades.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2014 Hermitage La Chapelle shows the more charming, supple style of the vintage and, while young, is certainly drinking nicely. Giving up pretty redcurrant and black raspberry fruits as well as chalky minerals, peppery herbs, spice, and hints of charred meat, it hits the palate with medium-bodied richness, a supple, elegant texture, fine tannins, and a great finish. Despite the charming style in its fruit, it has classic Hermitage focus, minerality, and structure and is a wine that will evolve gracefully on its balance for another two decades.
Marked by an unmistakable deep purple hue and savory aromatics, Syrah makes an intense, powerful and often age-worthy red. Native to the Northern Rhône, Syrah achieves its maximum potential in the steep village of Hermitage and plays an important component in the Red Rhône Blends of the south, adding color and structure to Grenache and Mourvèdre. Syrah is the most widely planted grape of Australia and is important in California and Washington. Sommelier Secret—Such a synergy these three create together, the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre trio often takes on the shorthand term, “GSM.”
One of the smallest and most important Syrah regions of northern Rhone, Hermitage is practically one single south-facing slope of crushed granite, thinly covered with varied, yet well-charted soil types. Many climats (well identified parcels) exist within Hermitage and while some smaller producers make single climat Syrahs, some larger ones blend to make one balanced expression of the appellation.
Though the AC regulations allow the addition of up to 15% white grapes to a red Hermitage, in practice it is usually made from Syrah alone. Winemaking is pretty traditional—or you might say historic—with hot fermentations and aging in older barrels of various sizes. The best wines, characterized by deep, dense and sexy flavors of black fruit, cocoa, licorice and tobacco, have massive textures and a solid 10-20 years aging potential.
The region of Hermitage is totally enclosed; the only place it could go really is to literally fall down its own hill into the city of Tain or the Rhone River. Soil erosion is a problem and terraces exist alongside the hill in order to keep the earth in place. Crozes-Hermitage encloses the region entirely to its north and south.
While Hermitage seems synonymous with some of the best Syrah on the planet, actually about one third of the wine produced here comes from white grapes. The full, lush and robust Marsanne or the less common, but almost more charming, Roussanne create wonderful whites in which the best have great potential for aging, like the reds.