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Back Paul Jaboulet Aîné - the full package

Published on 26 January, 2022

©Louis Tsang, 26th January, 2022

I always have a soft spot in my heart for Rhône, especially Northern Rhône. It is not difficult to find well-crafted wine from that region that does not break the bank. Among all the producers, Paul Jaboulet Aîné is my safe and go-to option, and I am particularly fond of three of their wines - ‘Domaine de Thalabert’, ‘La Maison Bleue’ and ‘La Chapelle’.

‘Domaine de Thalabert’ was the first vineyard purchased by Antoine Jaboulet and is the oldest vineyard in Crozes-Hermitage. It now covers 40 hectares and is planted with Syrah vines that are approximately 40 to 60 years old. These vines are grown in gravelly soil, and the yields are kept low to promote optimal ripeness and concentration. 

‘La Chapelle’ is the famous vineyard here, named for a 13th Century chapel built atop the iconic hill of Hermitage. We have hosted several ‘La Chapelle’ vertical tastings in the past few years, and every time I was impressed by how well these wines performed. The wines of the '60s, '70s and '80s were fully mature and represent some of the best ‘La Chapelle’ examples, while those from the 2015 vintage and after are absolute knockouts and well deserving of the acclaimed scores given by many critics. This is clear evidence that the Frey family has done a brilliant job in the estate and vineyards since their takeover in 2006.

‘La Maison Bleue’ comes mostly from eastern side vineyards on the Hermitage hill where the soils are deeper, less stony, and the slope is flatter. The result is a promising wine which speaks of great balance between big concentration and fine acidity, and comes at a bargain price. This is one of my favourite food wines on our shelves right now, and I like to give the wine a lot of air to let it fully express itself.

Last year my friends and I did a blind tasting with the 1985 ‘Domaine Thalabert’ and 1988 ‘La Chapelle’. Both were mesmerizing and fun to drink. The ‘Domaine Thalabert’ was mostly mistaken for a mature Burgundy Village wine. It was loaded with lovely aromatics of sweet fruit and tea leaf, which immediately drew everyone’s attention. The ‘La Chapelle’ had more concentration in contrast to the light palate of the '85, and it was so nuanced and elegant that the table was evenly split between Burgundy and Hermitage. 

Just as any other top wines in the world, these Jaboulet wines are full packages. Plus they offer a lot of fine wine for your dollar, especially when compared with other regions.