The Maison Paul Jaboulet Aîné was created in 1834 through the magical conjunction of a fertile land on a hillside by the Rhone and a family with a passion for winemaking.

Famed through the Hermitage La Chapelle, over the years the Domaines Paul Jaboulet Aîné took ownership of the finest appellations of the northern Rhone Valley, applying organic and biodynamic principles since taken over by the Frey family, ensuring a legacy in both vineyards and incredible wines.

A legendary Cru… Over centuries, it has build its reputation on a single hill, and an epic history. In the beginning, the hill was home to an Hermitage founded by Gaspard de Sterimberg in 1224. A knight of Blanche de Castille returning from the Albigensian Crusade, and weary of bloodshed, chose to take refuge from the world on the summit of this granite hill. Soon joined by others, the community built a chapel on top of the top of the hill, giving its name to the cru and the knight to the hill. They nurtured the vines which had been planted since the Roman times.

Soil – The Syrah vines are planted in poor and very diverse terroirs. The Bessards with very uneven granite soils, Le Meal with limestone and silica and the Rocoules with limestone and clay. It is the richness of these different exclusive terroirs which provide the La Chapelle with its signature complexity.

Grape Variety – 100% Syrah, goblet pruning on stakes

Age of vines – 40 to 60 years

Vinification – At a perfect maturity, the Syrah grapes are picked by hand, carried in small crates to the winery. They are hand sorted, destemmed and lightly crushed. The maceration on the skin lasts 3 to 4 weeks with daily pump-overs.

La Chapelle is ageing in oak in our cellars for 15 to 18 months. French Oak barrels are renewed 20% every year. The final blend is done after the end of the ageing and done through judicious selection from the terroirs of Hermitage in order to give ‘La Chapelle’ its own personality of power, ageing potential and legend.

Medium deep red-ruby. Roasted, tarry red fruits, animal fur, and chocolate on the nose, as vibrant and vinous as a barrel sample. Extremely lush and concentrated, and already highly aromatic in the mouth, with notes of red and black fruits, roasted nuts, spices, chocolate, and tobacco. Beautifully integrated acidity. Finishes very long, with substantial, very fine tannins. A super vintage for this top Hermitage bottling.

Matching food and wine – Tournedos Rossini, Braised veal sweetbread with morels, Roast Squab with cepes

Best enjoy within 10 to 40 years

Vinous – 93 points

Glass-staining ruby. Powerul scents of red and dark berry preserves, smoked meat, violet and minerals offer impressive clarity and expand in the glass. Velvety in texture, with deep, liquor-like red berry flavors, gentle tannins and a strong undercurrent of lively minerals. The smoky note repeats strongly on the lush, seductively sweet finish. Extremely appealing even now, but this really deserves a chance to sleep for at least another decade.

Robert Parker Wine Advocate – 90 points

The first vintage where the new team was firmly in place, the 2006 Hermitage la Chapelle offers that classic, smoky, meaty La Chapelle bouquet to go with loads of fruits, medium to full-bodied richness, impressive mid-palate density and sweet tannin. This was easily the best showing I’ve had from this bottle, which often shows a much more rustic, evolved character.