Score: |
94 JG. "The 1952 La Chapelle is a compellingly great bottle of wine that has mellowed into a refined and elegant example of Hermitage. The nose is deep, complex and wonderfully nuanced, offering up notes of red currants, plums, hot stones, venison, a myriad of spices, a bit of fruit cake, orange zest, woodsmoke and hints of pepper. On the palate the wine is fullish, round and velvety, with a fine core of fruit, melting tannins, and great length and grip on the complex and palate-staining finish. I have a hard time imagining any of the post-1978 vintages of La Chapelle ever attaining this degree of breed and complexity. A gentle giant of a wine." John Gilman, View From the Cellar #2, Apr 2006 |