Grape Variety: 100% Syrah

Growing Region: Rhone Valley, France

Consultant Winemaker(s): Denis Dubourdieu, Caroline Frey

TASTING NOTE:
This is Paul Jaboulet's most famous wine made from grapes grown in the vineyards around the Chapel of St. Christophe high on the Hermitage hill above the town of Tain.

I had the pleasure of tasting a first pressing of this wine while I was visiting the cellars of Jaboulet in 2005. Between you and me, the Rhone wines from 2005 enjoyed a little more finesse and balance than the blockbuster 2003's.

The wine we know as 'La Chapelle' is not the wine of a single site with a uniform soil structure, but a marriage of wines with differing personalities. In this sense, it has more in common with a first growth of Bordeaux, while a mono-varietal; it represents a flexible blend from varying geological and mesoclimatic sites.

The wine is a deep, ruby red in colour. Spicy aromas of cassis, blackberry, leather, tobacco and espresso. Very rich, dense and chewy, offering a powerful dark fruit and wild game character complicated by tobacco and liquorice. As sweet and lush as this is, it's solidly framed by powerful tannins. This has serious extract and impressive muscle, having 18 to 24 months in barrel, finishing on an unforgettable note.

CELLARING POTENTIAL:
Drinking well this winter; and will replay another 5-7 years in the cellar.

SUGGESTED FOOD MATCHES:
Perfect wine match; venison, roasts, red meat, hard cheeses, game, beef. This wine deserves to be decanted and served in a large glass.

93 points, Wine Spectator.