P. Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle Blanc 2020

After the past several vintages, the 2020 Hermitage La Chapelle will need to add significant richness and concentration if it is to compete at that level. That said, it is still an excellent wine, with classic aromas of crushed stone, cassis, espresso and black olives. It's full-bodied, fine and silky, giving an impression of great elegance on the lingering finish.

Between my hectic schedule of visits and Caroline Frey's racing around to direct harvesting in Switzerland, Burgundy, the Rhône and Bordeaux, we were unable to connect in person this year. She deputized Robin Jullian, a former cellar hand turned export manager, to taste through the wines with me. The style of the white wines has changed somewhat, although Jullian pointed out that they're actually more like they would have been in the distant past. Picking dates appear to have been moved forward, and the wines are seeing much less oak than in recent history. The 2020 Hermitage Le Chevalier de Sterimberg, for example, is completely unoaked, aged exclusively in concrete. I confess I had some difficulties grappling with this, writing in my notes at one point, "Nothing resembling Hermitage as we understand it." The reds were more consistent with my expectations, with the 2019s looking particularly strong and cellar-worthy here, and the 2020s (from barrel) being softer and more elegant