Simply put, this is one of the legendary bottles of the Northern Rhône and beyond.
Jaboulet's La Chapelle is a crown jewel of not only the Rhône, but the entire wine world. Clive Coates calls it "One of the great red wines of the world."
Amid this illustrious history, three vintages of the wine form a holy trinity - '61, '78 and '90. Today, I'm happy to offer Jaboulet's 1990 Hermitage La Chapelle. This is an absolutely showstopping bottle.
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La Chapelle is Jaboulet's flagship wine, named for the iconic chapel purchased by Jaboulet in 1919 that stands atop Hermitage, the guardian of its south-facing slope of granite, schist and gneiss. The wines for La Chapelle are selected from a barrel-by-barrel tasting and the best wines are earmarked to be blended. Two of Hermitage's top sites, Le Méal and Les Bessards, form the backbone of La Chapelle with Les Greffieux, Les Rocoules and at times, Diognières and La Croix making up the rest of the blend.
La Chapelle presents an indisputably noble weave of game, smoke, spice and dark fruits. It's a wine that explodes with nuanced complexity. It's incredibly dense and simultaneously heartbreakingly elegant.
The 1990 is epic. It boasts a multifaceted personality that only a very select few of the world's greatest wines share. The Wine Advocate's Jeb Dennuck tasted the '90 alongside the '61 and '78 recently and wrote the following: "of the three titans (1990, 1978 and 1961), it was probably my favorite... the overall purity and freshness here are incredible."
I'm going to wrap this up. The 1990 La Chapelle is a wine that comes close to reaching mythical status. The last thing that I will mention is that large or even modest parcels don't exist. We have a very limited amount. Please give us your ideal order and we'll try our best.
To order, email offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463.
Ian McFadden
Director, Fine & Rare Wine
Crush Wine & Spirits