Domaine de la Chapelle : La Chapelle Paul Jaboulet-Aîné 2019

The freshness and refinement of a great Hermitage wine

The property

Paul Jaboulet-Aîné is an iconic name of the great wines of the Northern Rhône Valley. It was founded in 1834 in Tain L'Hermitage. The renowned oenologist and winemaker Caroline Frey runs this illustrious house, owned by the Frey family since 2006. The Maison Paul Jaboulet Aîné looks after 125 hectares of vineyards, spread over exceptional appellations such as Saint-Joseph, Crozes Hermitage, Hermitage, Cornas, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Côte-Rôtie, Condrieu or Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise.

The vineyard

The knight Gaspard de Sterimberg, wounded during the Albigensian crusade, asked Queen Blanche of Castile for permission to settle in 1224 on a hill on which he founded his hermitage.

Made from a rigorous selection of the most beautiful plots in the western part of Hermitage, this wine is made from old vines aged between 40 and 95 years, trained on stakes and planted on a mosaic of soils that contribute to the signature of this exceptional wine.

The vintage

The dry winter did not make up for the water stress recorded since 2018. The milder conditions from February onwards favoured an early bud break, but this progress was slowed down by the drop in temperatures at the end of March - beginning of April. Flowering started around June 7th and took place in very good conditions. The hail storm of June 15th slowed down the development of the vines. The summer conditions were scorching. The rigourous work of the estate's team throughout this vintage allowed us to harvest healthy grapes of great quality.

Vinification and maturation

Harvested by hand, the grapes are sorted by plot. Vatting time of about 4 weeks with soft extractions. The wine is aged in French oak barrels, 20% of which are new.

The blend

Paul Jaboulet-Aîné's 2019 La Chapelle is a 100% syrah.

Tasting

This great Hermitage wine seduces with its density, its fine and enveloping tannins as well as its beautiful freshness.

Guard

Paul Jaboulet-Aîné's 2019 Chapelle can wait in the cellar until 2059 to express its full aromatic palette.