The La Chapelle 1978 is an astounding bottle of wine, here simply embarrassing the 1978 from Chave. It has a compelling bouquet with intense black fruits, garrigues, white pepper, fennel and thyme that just explodes from the glass. The palate is full-bodied and just “loaded”: Leviathan tannins, intense black, animally fruit, hints of star anise, thyme and Provencal herbs and yet still with elegance and panache. If this was a man it would be Richard Burton. Spellbinding...but it needs 2+ years. Tasted May 2011.

Sadly, the scent of sticking plaster dominates the nose, showing that this is marred by brettanomyces. The palate, while still fresh and bright, also seems stripped of fruit. What a pity. Matured for 15-18 months in 20% new French barriques.

From Kate Dugdale's cellar. The Wine Society bottling did not show well (volatile and dry). Evolved and meaty nose. Rich and meaty on the palate, too. Smooth but still chewy, really good depth of fruit. Full in the mouth, smoky meat. Alive and generous and still well balanced. Savoury finish tapers off a little at the end. (JH)

From Kate Dugdale's cellar. The Wine Society bottling did not show well (volatile and dry). Evolved and meaty nose. Rich and meaty on the palate, too. Smooth but still chewy, really good depth of fruit. Full in the mouth, smoky meat. Alive and generous and still well balanced. Savoury finish tapers off a little at the end. (JH)

Robert Parker''s Wine Advocate 26/06/2000 Opaque plum/garnet-colored, with a fabulously sweet, youthful bouquet of licorice, incense, smoked meats, pepper, and blackberry/cassis fruit, the full-bodied 1978 La Chapelle is extremely young with astonishing vigor, velvety tannin, and a full-bodied, multi-dimensional, layered personality. The finish lasts for over 60 seconds. Remarkably fresh and not yet fully mature, the super-concentrated 1978 should continue to age well for another three decades. Anticipated maturity: now-2030 Opaque plum/garnet colouredm with a fabulously sweet, youthful bouquet of licquorice, incense, smoked meats, pepper, and blackberry/cassis fruit, the full bodied 1978 La Chapelle is extremely young with astonishing vigour, velvety tannins, and a full-bodied, multi-dimensional, layered personality. The finish lasts for over 60 seconds. Remarkably fresh and not yet fully mature, the super-concentrated 1978 should continue to age well for another 25 years. Anticipated maturity: Now-2030. (100)

As heavenly and profound as it gets, the still youthful-colored 1978 Hermitage la Chapelle exhibits an insane bouquet of sweet cassis, truffle, smoked meats and licorice. Full-bodied, multidimensional, decadent and massive on the palate, with a stacked mid-palate and still present, sweet tannin, it tastes like a mix of the more fruit-loaded '90 and the more evolved, smoky and soy-laced '61. You could easily run out of adjectives describing this beauty, but it's a perfect wine any way you look at it. I see no reason to hold off, and it's drinking perfectly for my palate today, but it certainly won't fall off a cliff anytime soon.

Opaque plum/garnet-colored, with a fabulously sweet, youthful bouquet of licorice, incense, smoked meats, pepper, and blackberry/cassis fruit, the full-bodied 1978 La Chapelle is extremely young with astonishing vigor, velvety tannin, and a full-bodied, multi-dimensional, layered personality. The finish lasts for over 60 seconds. Remarkably fresh and not yet fully mature, the super-concentrated 1978 should continue to age well for another three decades. Anticipated maturity: now-2030