Hermitage La Chapelle 1998, Paul Jaboulet Aine

The softest, most precocious of the three most recent vintages of the famed Hermitage La Chapelle is the 1998. Its deep ruby/purple colour is followed by a sweet blackberry and cassis-scented nose that has not yet begun to take on the secondary nuances of leather, dried herbs, and foresty notes. A full-bodied wine, it has a sweet attack, high tannin, and excellent concentration and purity. If my instincts are right, it will require 6-8 years of bottle age, and should keep for 2-3 decades. A medium-weight La Chapelle , it will not be as concentrated and fat as the 1997, not as backward and dense as the 1996.