1975 Hermitage La Chapelle
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Tasting notes
Magnum from Kate Dugdale's cellar, 75-cl bottle from Richard Mayson's cellar (Wine Society bottling). From the magnum, the wine was browny red with a peppery, Syrah-marked aroma. Seductive scent of undergrowth. Chewy, sweet and still fresh. Lavender, crushed stones, dried grasses, more meaty as it opens. Juicy and compact. Very long. Deep, satisfying and mouth-watering on the finish. The 75-cl bottle was leaner and drier. My score is for the magnum. (JH)
Critic scores
Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
More reviews and scores
A birth year wine for yours truly, the 1975 La Chapelle is fully mature yet elegant and charming, with a slightly fading feel suggesting it’s best drunk up. It has classic Hermitage smoke and meat and certainly offers charm, but it’s not getting better.
Completely evolved and mature, with lots of truffle, earth, smoked meats, orange rind and tobacco, the 1975 Hermitage la Chapelle is medium-bodied, elegant and enjoyable. It lacks depth and richness, but for a year that saw a serious amount of rain at harvest, it's pretty darn good at age 40.
Mid brick. Quite shaded towards the rim. Lovely heady nose – very perfumed. Acidity quite marked and with lots of tannin and acidity. The nose is stunning but it’s falling apart a little on the palate. (JR)