2000 Hermitage La Chapelle

From The Wine Society's cellar. Brick red. The first bottle was affected by TCA but even underneath that it seemed to lack depth. A second bottle opened at lunch after the tasting was significantly cleaner but it was more evolved in both colour and flavour than I expected, more so than the 1999, and was still on the lean side.  (JH)

While charming and enjoyable, the 2000 Hermitage La Chapelle is a consistent disappointment, and it sticks out like a sore thumb in any retrospective that includes any top vintages. Light plum-hued and translucent, it has a fully mature nose of sweet plums, currants, spice box, and some subtle meatiness to go with medium-bodied richness and a soft, sweetly fruited, simple style. It's not getting any better and drops off quickly with too much air, so drink up.

This, for the sake of completeness, is a note taken in a blind tasting of Syrahs from around the world at Australia House last year when I had no reason to think this was a) Hermitage or b) as young as 2000. The score, as I remarked below, is extremely generous but in the context of this tasting distinguished the wine from the array of mainly very young Shirazes shown with it. Mature ruby with a brick rim. Looks between 15 and 20 years old, which I’m sure it’s not. Obviously northern Rhône on the nose – and pretty mature at that. Dry, dusty, slight brett. A very different animal from the rest – absolutely classic traditional north Rhône – Côte Rôtie? – with marked acidity and some lightly dusty tannins. Much more acid than the rest. Later: That score is a bit generous in the context of such a young wine. Difficult to imagine it has decades ahead of it, which young HLC should have. (JR)