| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Rhône > Northern Rhône > Hermitage |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
One of the more finesse driven wines in the vertical, the 1985 Hermitage la Chapelle offered beautiful, complex notes of coffee beans, dried meats, potpourri and mint to go with a full-bodied, elegant and seamless feel on the palate. Following on the heels of the monster-sized '89, it still stood out for its purity, fine tannin and length on the finish. It's a beautiful wine drinking at point.
Hints of amber to the brick-red center color. It shows lots of saffron, mushroom, forest floor, pastrami and other dried meats. Full body with incredible silky tannins and a depth of character and intensity. Red pepper and paprika. A stunning wine. So much decadence and complexity.
I had not tasted a bottle of 1985 la Chapelle from Paul Jaboulet in more than twenty years and was very, very impressed by this recent bottle. Early on, I remember thinking that this wine was pretty and correct, but lacked sufficient mid-palate stuffing to truly be a great vintage of this fine Hermitage bottling. However, this most recent bottle was outstanding, offering up a mature and wide open bouquet of cassis, black pepper, grilled meats, lovely spice tones, a touch of hay and a complex base of dark soil tones. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, tangy and still moderately tannic, with fine depth at the core, very good focus and grip, bright acids and a very long, complex and beautifully balanced finish. A very impressive showing! I should mention that a friend made the effort to search out this bottle in the UK market, as he had heard that there were multiple bottlings of the 1985 La Chapelle and that the one that was sent to England has proven to be the best. I do not know this to be the case, but this bottle certainly did come out of the a UK cellar and was superior to any previous example of the 1985 that I have had the pleasure to taste. 2019-2050.
A gathering of smokes – cold fireplace, extinguished cigar, smoked meats, fireworks. Hot granite and petrichor. It still has weight and breadth, with a great spread of tannin still. Well-balanced acidity and alcohol, and a long, smoky finish. Not as refined as the 1990 but still very good indeed. (Drink between 2024-2035)
Thank heavens – a real fulfilment of expectation on the nose – gravy, granite, dark chocolate, black cherry, smoke, toast, bacon fat. It is the definition of Hermitage – very, very good indeed. Still drinking now but could easily age for another ten years, it feels. Drink 1995-2035.
