The 2018 Hermitage La Chapelle is a monster of a wine that brings tons of richness and depth while staying light on its feet and balanced. Lots of ripe red and blue fruits as well as flowers, smoked meat, licorice, and spice define the bouquet, and it's full-bodied, has a ripe, powerful, yet balanced mouthfeel, and a great finish. Given some previous showings of this wine, it was surprisingly accessible on this occasion, with a wealth of fruit, sweet tannins, and tons of character. It's a brilliant wine as well as a magical Hermitage.

The beautifully proportioned 2018 Hermitage La Chapelle comes across as a complex, complete version of this renowned bottling, with no rough edges-just moderate spice, cassis, red berries and cedar on the nose. It's medium to full-bodied, silky and fine, brimming with harmony and elegance on the palate, while the finish is long, echoing with cassis, charcoal and crushed stone. The tannins firm up a bit on the finish, so I suspect this will close down soon, then blossom sometime after 2025.

Opaque ruby. Displays powerful, highly perfumed aromas of black/blue fruit preserves, licorice, cola, baking spices and potpourri, along with an exotic suggestion of incense. Utterly stains the palate with intense blackberry, cherry, cassis, floral pastille and spicecake flavors that deliver a suave blend of weight and energy. Youthfully solid tannins add shape and grip to an extremely long, mineral- and floral-accented finish that shows outstanding clarity and dark fruit thrust.