Walls: The next step for Jaboulet’s Hermitage La Chapelle

Caroline Frey, owner of Paul Jaboulet Aîné, has decided to uncouple La Chapelle (and its white counterpart, Le Chevalier de Sterimberg) from the Paul Jaboulet Aîné brand by creating a separate entity, Domaine de la Chapelle, which will be the new home for these two wines.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for the 2022 Domaine de la Chapelle red and white wines

A new facility

Frey is overseeing the construction of a new winery close to the hill of Hermitage which will be entirely dedicated to production of the La Chapelle wines. ‘It’s time for the new chapter,’ she says.

The winery is being designed by celebrated Danish architect Bjarke Ingels, whose many projects include Noma 2.0 in Copenhagen.

The cellar will be ‘very integrated, not a very imposing architectural cellar,’ says Frey. ‘The star of the area is the hill of Hermitage, that’s what we want to preserve… all eyes need to be focused on the hill.’

The site is just outside the Hermitage appellation boundary, and will be visible from the iconic Chapelle Saint-Christophe at the top of the hill. There are no current plans for general tourist facilities, but the site will be used to welcome selected guests.

The new site ‘won’t change the style of the wine,’ says Frey, ‘the process will be the same.’ There will be a cold room to receive the harvest, an optical sorting table, and an ergonomic layout for punching down during fermentation. The only difference between the current set up and the future one will be the use of cement vats instead of stainless steel tanks for vinification.

There will also be a new route to market for Domaine de la Chapelle. Instead of being sold along with the other Jaboulet wines, it will be offered via the Place de Bordeaux, the traditional Bordeaux distribution network.

I wondered if this was a precursor to selling off one of the two parts, but Frey confirms she has no intention of parting with either.

I’ll be curious to taste the new La Chapelle once it’s being made at the new winery. After all, if a wine is made in an entirely new facility, can it ever be truly identical to what it was before?

Any differences will only become clear over the course of several vintages. Perhaps this dedicated winery will give La Chapelle the focus and stability it needs to regain its glory days. What’s clear for now is that a new and exciting chapter in the story of La Chapelle has begun.

The 2022 vintage

The 2022 vintage in Hermitage was marked by intense heat and drought.

Budbreak was several days later than a typical year, then the vegetative cycle accelerated, with good flowering during one of the hottest months of May on record.

There was barely any rain during the growing season, which caused localised blockages in ripening, particularly among younger vines. This led to instances of unripe tannins, but less so in Hermitage compared to other areas of the Rhône.

The general style of red Hermitage in 2022 is a relatively compact one, without huge structure or concentration. That’s certainly the case with the 2022 Domaine de La Chapelle, which is an athletic iteration, with very fine – but crucially ripe – tannins.

There are some white Hermitage cuvées in 2022 which are powerful and concentrated, but Le Chevalier de Sterimberg is at the other end of the scale. It’s medium-bodied and approachable, with good acidity (the malo was suppressed) with well-judged oak.

Both are almost Burgundian in style, but will nonetheless require significant time in bottle for them to open up and express themselves. Full tasting notes and production details are below, and a full report on the 2022 vintage in the Rhône Valley can be found here.

Tasting notes and scores for the 2022 Domaine de la Chapelle red and white wines:

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