89/100
3.5 Stars
Huon Hooke
Deep red colour, slight purple. Sweet super-ripe fruit aromas, almost jammy. A big blockbuster with masses of tannin and a firm finish that lingers on, but it has little finesse. A touch astringent, too. Sweet, essency, eau-de-vie characters. A pretty good '03.
Tasted: 30/08/2013
Drink: 2013 to 2020
96 Points Robert Parker
The 2003 Hermitage la Chapelle is a stunner! From a scorching-hot year that may never be repeated, this behemoth took two months to ferment dry and hit 14.1% natural alcohol. In addition, while in a big year they can produce 80,000 to 90,000 bottles (or more in the case of the 2000), they only made 50,000 bottles of the '03. Locked and loaded with notions of plums, Asian spice, olive tapenade and sweet cassis, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a massive mid-palate and layers of sweet tannin. This blockbuster is guaranteed to put a smile on your face and will drink beautifully for another 15-20 years.
Source: Robert Parker (Robert Parker Wine Advocate) by Jeb Dunnuck. September, 2015