The 1998 vintage was the first full vintage for winemaker Laurent Jaboulet. The 1998 Hermitage la Chapelle is a solid, complex, medium to full-bodied, elegant and fully mature la Chapelle that offers perfumed notes of Asian spices, dried flowers, ground herbs and sweet, dark fruits. Charming, supple and drinking nicely today, I'd lean toward enjoying bottles over the coming 5-10 years while it's still holding onto its pretty core of fruit.

The 1998 Hermitage La Chapelle is soft and precocious. Its deep ruby/purple color is followed by a sweet, blackberry and cassis-scented nose that has not yet begun to take on the secondary nuances of leather, dried herbs, and foresty notes. A full-bodied wine, it has a sweet attack, high tannin, and excellent concentration and purity. If my instincts are right, it will require 6-8 years of bottle age, and should keep for 2-3 decades. Importer: Frederick Wildman, New York, NY; tel. (212) 355-0700

The outstanding, elegant 1998 Hermitage La Chapelle's dark plum/purple color is followed by scents of new saddle leather, black currants, blackberries, and underbrush. In the mouth, the wine reveals sweet tannin, medium to full body, excellent depth, and an intriguing smokiness

From The Wine Society's cellar. A v ery dry summer stressed the vines, apparently. Bricky garnet. Meaty but sweet. Firmly chewy. High acid. Not really meshed even now. Strident, almost harsh. (JH)

Magnum. After Grange 1998, this seems very meek and mild. The fruit is dry and understated, with quite pinched acidity upsetting the balance. There's only very basic complexity. Not exactly the most exciting bottle. (RH)