Domaine de la Chapelle : La Chapelle Paul Jaboulet-Aîné 2020

A great Hermitage wine with a seductive richness and balance

The estate

Paul Jaboulet-Aîné, the infamous reference among Northern Rhône Valley wines, was founded in 1834 in Tain L'Hermitage. The renowned oenologist and winemaker, Caroline Frey, has been running this illustrious house, owned by the Frey family, since 2006. Maison Paul Jaboulet Aîné watches over 125 hectares of vines that spread over exceptional appellations such as Saint-Joseph, Crozes-Hermitage, Hermitage, Cornas, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Côte-Rôtie, Condrieu and 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 on a hillside in 1224, where he founded his hermitage.

Made from a rigorous selection of the finest plots in the western part of the appellation, this Hermitage wine is made from old vines that are aged between 40 and 95 years old. By training the vines on stakes and benefiting from a mosaic of terroirs, these conditions contribute to the signature of this exceptional wine.

The vintage

A mild winter, favouring an early budding of the vines, preceded a warm spring with regular rainfall. The flowering period was homogeneous and good quality. July was hot and dry. The harvest took place under very good conditions and enabled the teams to harvest utterly healthy grapes.

Vinification and ageing

The grapes are harvested by hand and sorted in the vineyard. Vatting time of about 4 weeks with gentle extractions. The wine is matured in concrete eggs (18%) and French oak barrels (15% new).

The blend

Paul Jaboulet-Aîné's La Chapelle 2020 is a 100% Syrah.

Cellaring

La Chapelle 2020 by Paul Jaboulet-Aîné can be kept in the cellar until 2060 in order to express its full aromatic range.