1978 - Hermitage La Chapelle Rouge, Paul Jaboulet Aine

As heavenly and profound as it gets, the still youthful-colored 1978 Hermitage la Chapelle exhibits an insane bouquet of sweet cassis, truffle, smoked meats and licorice. Full-bodied, multidimensional, decadent and massive on the palate, with a stacked mid-palate and still present, sweet tannin, it tastes like a mix of the more fruit-loaded '90 and the more evolved, smoky and soy-laced '61. You could easily run out of adjectives describing this beauty, but it's a perfect wine any way you look at it. I see no reason to hold off, and it's drinking perfectly for my palate today, but it certainly won't fall off a cliff anytime soon.

A collection of stunning older northern Rhônes puts a strong exclamation point on this night of fabulous food, wine and conversation. The 1978 La Chapelle from Jaboulet is full of deep, woodsy aromas and flavors. Still, deep, rich and positively explosive in the glass, the 1978 is a real treat to taste and drink. The 1978 remains remarkably youthful, even if it has (understandably) faded just a touch since I tasted it a few years ago.

From Kate Dugdale's cellar. The Wine Society bottling did not show well (volatile and dry).Evolved and meaty nose. Rich and meaty on the palate, too. Smooth but still chewy, really good depth of fruit. Full in the mouth, smoky meat. Alive and generous and still well balanced. Savoury finish tapers off a little at the end. (JH)