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1961 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Hermitage La Chapelle Hermitage Rhône France Wine Tasting Note

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1961
Paul Jaboulet Aîné La Chapelle  (Hermitage)
100
Each time I taste this wine, I am convinced I will never have it again, yet, here we are. Served blind, I thought it was 1961 Latour. But, this was even better! The incredible nose, with its mint, cedar, tobacco, barbecue, smoked meat, herbs, spices, pepper and black cherries was off the hook! The palate experience was even better with its wall of firm, smoky cherries, spice, herbs, and peppery mint. Crisp, intense, long, seamless, and complex, the wine exceeds the 60-second mark, and just keeps on going! What a wine. Drink from 2024-2060.

Each time I taste this wine, I am convinced I will never have it again, yet, here we are. Served blind, I thought it was 1961 Latour. But, this was even better! The incredible nose, with its mint, cedar, tobacco, barbecue, smoked meat, herbs, spices, pepper and black cherries was off the hook! The palate experience was even better with its wall of firm, smoky cherries, spice, herbs, and peppery mint. Crisp, intense, long, seamless, and complex, the wine exceeds the 60-second mark, and just keeps on going! What a wine. Drink from 2024-2060.

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Of all the wines I never thought I would taste again, this was at the top of the list. Almost 13 years later, my second time with this legend took place. Served blind, I was sure it was a mature First Growth Pauillac. It had all the tobacco, cedar, cigar box, cedar, iron, currants, plums, smoke, rocks, and stones you could want in a wine. Perhaps, not quite as virulent as the previous bottle, but still majestic, the wine is full-bodied, deep, multi-layered, and multi-faceted, with a spicy, salty, smoky, currant, and peppery herb finish. Maybe I'll get lucky and see this again if I can wait another 13 years?

Of all the wines I never thought I would taste again, this was at the top of the list. Almost 13 years later, my second time with this legend took place. Served blind, I was sure it was a mature First Growth Pauillac. It had all the tobacco, cedar, cigar box, cedar, iron, currants, plums, smoke, rocks, and stones you could want in a wine. Perhaps, not quite as virulent as the previous bottle, but still majestic, the wine is full-bodied, deep, multi-layered, and multi-faceted, with a spicy, salty, smoky, currant, and peppery herb finish. Maybe I'll get lucky and see this again if I can wait another 13 years?

4,768 Views   Tasted
This maintains a dark color at close to 50 years of age! Scents of olive orchards waft from the glass in this perfect Hermitage wine. Green olives, black olives, earth and trees were in abundance. Truffles, burnt toast, tobacco, licorice, citrus, forest floor and soy sauce are easy to find in the complex, expanding aromatics. On the palate, the wine is massive and intensely concentrated with layers of rich, thick, juicy, ripe black fruit and minerals. This wine perfectly melds power with elegance. The seemingly endless finish is long and pure. In the mouth, this wine reminds me a 1961 Latour. The wine improved in the glass for over two hours. Few wines live up to their legendary status due to a myriad of reasons from provenance, value and the most important reason of all, how can any wine be as good as a legend. This bottle was as good, if not better than the legend! This wine ended with a finish that lasts for years. The question, do dream wines dream, remains unanswered. Perhaps the next time I meet another one of my dream wines, I’ll know.

This maintains a dark color at close to 50 years of age! Scents of olive orchards waft from the glass in this perfect Hermitage wine. Green olives, black olives, earth and trees were in abundance. Truffles, burnt toast, tobacco, licorice, citrus, forest floor and soy sauce are easy to find in the complex, expanding aromatics. On the palate, the wine is massive and intensely concentrated with layers of rich, thick, juicy, ripe black fruit and minerals. This wine perfectly melds power with elegance. The seemingly endless finish is long and pure. In the mouth, this wine reminds me a 1961 Latour. The wine improved in the glass for over two hours. Few wines live up to their legendary status due to a myriad of reasons from provenance, value and the most important reason of all, how can any wine be as good as a legend. This bottle was as good, if not better than the legend! This wine ended with a finish that lasts for years. The question, do dream wines dream, remains unanswered. Perhaps the next time I meet another one of my dream wines, I’ll know.

15,263 Views   Tasted

When to Drink Paul Jaboulet Aine Hermitage, Anticipated Maturity, Decanting Time

Paul Jaboulet Aine Hermitage when young, should be decanted at least 2-3 hours, give or take, allowing the wines to soften and open their perfume. However, Jaboulet La CHapelle in its youth can easily use 3-5 hours of decanting. Older vintages might need very little decanting, just enough to remove the sediment.

Paul Jaboulet Aine Hermitage is usually better with 10-12 years of cellaring and should be at its best between 10-25 years of age. Paul Jaboulet La Chapelle needs 15-20 years of cellaring in the good vintages and is best between 20-60 years of age.

Serving Paul Jaboulet Aine Hermitage with Wine, Food, Pairing Tips

Jaboulet Hermitage is best served at 15.5 degrees Celsius, 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The cool, almost cellar temperature gives the wine more freshness and lift.

Jaboulet Hermitage is best served with all types of classic meat dishes, veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, game, roast chicken, roasted, braised and grilled dishes. Jaboulet Hermitage is also good with Asian dishes, hearty fish courses like tuna, mushrooms and pasta.

The white wine of Jaboulet is best served with a myriad of different seafood dishes, shellfish, crab, lobster, sushi, sashimi, chicken, pork and veal, as well as Asian cuisine.

Jaboulet La Chapelle is one of the world's great wines. In the best vintages, the wine needs 20-30 years to soften, develop and show it's unique character. But from personal experience, I can tell you, it is worth the wait!

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