Tasted in barrel, and then just after bottling when I lived in Switzerland, I thought the 1990 was one of the great La Chapelles, certainly as good as the 1978. But, after some really horrendous experiences with them, both the late releases, and wines that were shipped to the east coast and seem to be a little cooked, I decided to try and find some bottles in Europe that had stayed there. It took time, but finally I just bought 4 bottles with English Wine Society provenance.
Paying over the odds, but worth it I suspect, after glowing reports from a friend who tasted another bottle. Shipping soon, two months of rest, before I open one, this is one wine, I cannot wait to try.
Best of luck. Recently had a 1989 that made it safe and sound to the Caribbean. It was superb.
I opened one of unknown provenance and while the quality of the wine was not in doubt, it was so dark and brooding I would guess the wine was going to need another 20-30 years to show well. So these will need even more time?!
Good luck indeed.
Good luck ! I have a sole bottle that I got at the Burgundy Wine Co in NY about 20 years ago. Waiting for that perfect time to open it 
I too have an East Coast leaker. Hoping for the best.
Very inconsistent wine. I have some in long term storage since mid-90, have never bothered to bring them out as friends keep saying they are not ready. The last I heard, ready in halves but not in bigger formats. And ‘78 La Chapelle was the wine that got me excited about Rhône years ago.
Good luck.
Do you mean The Wine Society?
Yes.
While shipping may have exacerbated the problem, it is also rumored that there were several different bottlings / cuvées of this wine. Certainly, I have had wonderful bottles in the UK, but also some very porty, pruney bottles, shipped by Lay & Wheeler and stored in an underground cellar from release. Hoping the Wine Society secured some of the good stuff!
Lovers of the '78 Chapelle should seek out the '78 Jaboulet Cornas, which is not far behind—at least in the Malmaison bottles that Clive Coates shipped to the UK.
The few times I’ve tried this wine, I found that it was not even close to being ready!
Interesting; I always thought the source of the bad wines were the late releases and an East Coast shipment that had been cooked. Do you know if the Lay and Wheeler wines were original release or sold around the time when the Jaboulet house was purchased?
I had a very good bottle of this in Seattle last year, still very young and will be far better in 5-10 years.
I bought 4 bottles of this in 1997 out of a restaurant’s cellar in New Hampshire. One was great, two were mediocre and I sold the last.