DOMAINE PAUL JABOULET AINE (HERMITAGE - COTES DU RONE - FRANCE)
Firma de cosecheros y négociants fundada en 1834. Es una de las casas más importantes de Côtes-du-Rhône (Francia), con un centenar de hectáreas de viñedos y una moderna bodega. Su Hermitage La Chapelle es el arquetipo del mejor Côtes-du-Rhône. En los últimos años ha ido seleccionando los mejores pagos de su propiedad, creando un conjunto de domaines en las diferentes AOC del Ródano: el magnífico tinto Domaine de Thalabert, en Crozes Hermitage, el Domaine de Roure, un vino excepcional que se elabora en blanco (2,5 ha de marsanne) y en tinto (3,5 ha de syrah), también en Crozes Hemitage. En esta misma zona se encuentra el Domaine Mule Blanche (7,5 ha), que produce vinos blancos de marsanne y rousanne. En este soberbio conjunto de domaines hay que incluir el tinto Domaine de Saint Pierre (3,9 ha de syrah) en Comas.
LA MAISON JABOULET - PAUL JABOULET AINE
Paul Jaboulet Aîné, important rhône valley merchant and wine producer, whose most famous wine is Hermitage la Chapelle. The house was founded in the early 19th century by Antoine Jaboulet and takes its name from the older of his twin sons.
Jaboulet’s own vineyard holdings in production, which provide between a quarter and a third of the firm’s needs, totalled more than 95 ha/ 235 acres, in every northern Rhone appellation but Côte Rôtie in the late 1990s. Recent acquisitions included additional holdings in Hermitage and Crozes-Hermitage, a stake in Condrieu (first vintage 1996), Domaine St-Pierre in Cornas (1994), and most of Domaine Raymond Roure in Crozes-Hermitage (1996).
Of the raw materials bought in, from 150 growers the length of the Rhone valley, two-thirds is wine rather than grapes, and in the late 1990s quality was notably variable.
The firm was based in its old cellars in Tain PHermitage from 1834 until 1984 when a modern winery and warehouse was built in La Roche de Glun just south of the town. Jaboulet sell a range of more than 20 different wines, most of them in the firm’s own deep-punted bottle, and the best are their own special cuvées. Their crozes-hermitage, Domaine de Thalabert, was some of the earliest proof offered to wine drinkers outside France that this appellation could produce serious, age-worthy wine.
The firm’s top red cuvées are châteauneuf-du-pape, Les Cèdres, côte rôtie, Les Jumelles, and most notably hermitage, La Chapelle, with La Chapelle 1961 an acknowledged classic. The white Hermitage, Chevalier de Stérimberg demonstrates the late Gérard Jaboulet’s admiration for the roussanne grape. In 2005, after years of under-performance, the company was sold to the owner of Ch La Lagune in Bordeaux, an investor in Champagne Billecart Salmon.
LES DOMAINES PAUL JABOULET AINE
Maison Paul Jaboulet Aîné was created through the magical conjunction of a fertile land on a hillside by the Rhone and a family with a passion for winemaking. In 1834, when Antoine Jaboulet set up his business in Tain I’Hermitage with the aim of producing great wines, he saw his future profession as limited to cultivating the vineyards and maintaining the quality of the land. It was with this mindset that he quickly acquired his first vineyards on the Hermitage slopes and the Crozes Hermitage plains. The six generations who followed him, including his sons Paul and Henry and, later, the celebrated Gérard, adopted an identical approach. Over the years, Domaines Paul Jaboulet Aîné thereby took ownership of the finest appellations of the northern Rhone Valley. These included Hermitage and Crozes Hermitage, of course, but also Saint-Joseph, Cornas and Saint-Péray.
In 2006, the Freys, a family of long standing in the Champagne region and owners of Chateau La Lagune in Bordeaux, took over Maison Paul Jaboulet Aîné. Caroline, the eldest daughter of the family, who has a degree in oenology from Bordeaux, works with her teams in a single-minded quest for perfection. Their cutting-edge winemaking, combined with the scrupulous care given to vines grown in exceptional terroirs, encourages one to believe that the greatest vintages are yet to come. The vineyards acquired in the appellations of Côte Rôtie, Condrieu and Châteauneuf du Pape are following in the historic Maison Jaboulet tradition.
Under Caroline’s leadership, in 2006 our vineyards earned Sustainable Farming status while our winegrowing is slowly but surely progressing towards biodynamic certification. Horses, winches, cultivators and pickaxes are now used to dig over each plot, however steep. This enables the roots to delve as deeply as possible into the rock. The grapes are rigorously inspected and every last detail is subject to scrupulous examination. Quality is the sole criterion for Caroline and her team of winegrowers.
In this quest for perfection, a new gravity-operated cellar has been set up for the 2010 vintage. Here the grapes are handled with the utmost care. Hand-picked and placed in little crates, two lifts are used to raise the grape bunches. The Roussanne, Marsanne, Viognier and Grenache Blanc white grapes are poured manually into the presses, which then allow the juice to flow naturally through gravity into small stainless steel vats. The fermenting must is then sent to the air-conditioned, humidified white wine store for storage in casks or in enormous 16hl concrete eggs. Meanwhile, the Syrah and Grenache grapes, which are less vulnerable to oxidation, are painstakingly selected on multiple sorting tables (sorting of bunches and then individual grapes) before slipping as gently as possible down to the vats, via lightly sloping stainless steel shafts. When alcoholic and malolactic fermentation is complete, the wines are improved in the spectacular red wine store. Syrah wines gain in complexity in French oak barrels (20% new wood) whereas Grenache is better suited to aging in truncated cone-shaped 80hl vats.
The jewel in the Jaboulet collection has always been the legendary ‘La Chapelle’ Hermitage, a great red wine made purely from Syrah, which owes its name to the famous little Saint Christophe chapel, which overlooks the Hermitage vineyards. ‘La Chapelle’, which has been solely owned by Paul Jaboulet Aîné since 1919, is made by blending grapes from the best terroirs in the appellation (Méal, les Bessards, les Rocoules etc.). ‘La Chapelle’ Hermitage 1961 has been ranked among the twelve greatest wines of the 20th century and it racked up the third highest price ever recorded worldwide for a 12-bottle lot sold by Christie’s.
HERITAGE AND PERPETUATING HISTORY
For nearly two hundred years, the hillsides of Hermitage have jealously guarded the secret of a meeting that was to be the start of an extraordinary story…
In 1834, Antoine Jaboulet (1807 - 1864) started working the land in this region thereby linking his destiny with that of this fertile terroir. By dint of hard work and passion, his vines were to provide him with a wine of exceptional quality, to be perpetuated by his sons, Paul and Henri. It was Paul who then gave his name to the business. Since then, the generations have continued to succeed one another.
The Frey family, longstanding winemakers in Champagne and owners of Château La Lagune in Bordeaux, acquired Maison Paul Jaboulet Aîné in January 2006, thus adding to its portfolio of prestigious names. Frédéric Jaboulet shares the Frey family’s passion for excellence.
La Chapelle, which is situated on the hillside of l’Hermitage, looks out over the Rhône Valley. During the 13th century, the Chevalier de Stérimberg made it his home on his return from the crusades. Later still, it became the source of the family’s flagship wine, l’Hermitage La Chapelle. The 1961 vintage would be classed among the Twelve mythical bottles of the 20th century, and a small number of bottles and magnums are still kept by Jaboulet and in a few cellars elsewhere in the world…
For nearly two centuries, Jaboulet has been producing wines that represent generations of hard work and a passion for excellence. In order to perpetuate these values, Jaboulet adheres to an unswerving commitment to improving vineyards, through strategic acquisitions and work in the cellars, while respecting the environment at the same time.
VINEYARD
A great wine is born from the vine: The company’s hundred or so hectares of vineyards are tended with the greatest possible care.
In the northern estates of the Côtes du Rhône, the wide diversity of terroirs and the influence of micro-climates favours the production of Syrah. This is the principle variety, and the sole red grape, grown by Paul Jaboulet Aîné, while Roussanne, Marsanne and Viognier are used for the white wines. This provides the wines of each appellation with a well-defined personality.
Paul Jaboulet Aîné favours traditional vineyard husbandry. Yields are restricted to between 25 and 35 hectolitres per hectare from vines that are on average 40 years old, with the most illustrious being nearly 80 years old. Canopy management, crop thinning, pruning and harvesting are all carried out by hand. Ancestral methods such as the use of hand winches and stake training of vines are still used, all of which requires a skilled, experienced workforce. When they have reached optimal maturity, the grapes are hand-harvested into 20kg crates to keep them in as good condition as possible.
The company is currently undergoing sustainable agriculture qualification, which restricts the use of herbicides in the soil, favours organic fertilisers to encourage the development of micro-organisms, and allows the vines to thrust their roots deep into the ground. The vines consequently benefit from the natural and varied nourishment of the soil.
This background means that the Maison Paul Jaboulet Aîné winemaking team must work tirelessly, using the ancestral methods of the past to move into the future.
VINIFICATION
Respecting the fruit in order to achieve perfection: The quality of the grapes is of the utmost importance for creating great wines. They are hand-harvested when they have reached optimum maturity. The hand-picking is carried out scrupulously, and the grapes are placed into ventilated 20kg crates.
The lengthy vinification process then reveals the wine’s character. The team, comprising in-house oenologists, in close collaboration with Caroline Frey and Denis Dubourdieu, taste and analyse the juice throughout this time, so as to ensure that exceptional wines are produced.
The company’s savoir-faire is combined with both tradition and modernity. When the red grapes arrive at the winery, they are sorted by hand, destemmed and crushed. Pre-fermentation maceration takes place in vat to encourage the development of the wine’s fruit aromas. Alcoholic fermentation then converts the sugar into alcohol and extracts the tannins and colour, so as to obtain a balanced structure in the mouth and a deep red colour. Malolactic fermentation then refines the aromas and structures. The wines are then blended, which is a decisive stage in creating great wines, and matured in 225-litre casks for between 12 and 24 months, depending on the vintage, in the renowned Vineum caves.
The white grapes are cold-pressed to ensure freshness, which will guarantee that the wines develop well over time. During malolactic fermentation, the lees are stirred by hand so as to obtain complex aromas. The wines then age in barrel until the beginning of summer.
After bottling, the wine may also remain in our cellars for several more years before release.
DOMAINES WINES PRODUCTION
Production of each wine is depending on the vintage conditions. The priority is to reach high quality and not to preserve a quantity.
The quantity given here is an average on several vintages. (1 case = 12 bt)
- Hermitage
‘La Chapelle’2.000 cases (no production on 1993 and 2008 vintages)
‘La Chapelle’blanc 150 cases
‘Le Chevalier de Sterimberg’ 1.300 cases
- Crozes Hermitage
‘Domaine de Thalabert’ 10.000 cases
‘Domaine Mule Blanche’ 1.600 cases
‘Domaine de Roure’ rouge 500 cases (no production on 2008 vintage)
‘Domaine de Roure’ blanc 300 cases
- Côte Rôtie
‘Domaine des Pierrelles’
- Cornas
‘Domaine de Saint-Pierre’ (no production on 2008 vintage)
- Châteauneuf du Pape
‘Domaine de Terre Ferme’ rouge 800 cases
‘Domaine de Terre Ferme’ blanc 300 cases
- Saint-Joseph
‘Domaine de la Croix des Vignes’ rouge 300 cases
- Condrieu
‘Domaine des Grands Amandiers’ 300 cases
- Côtes du Rhône Villages Plan de Dieu
‘Domaine de Père en Filles’ rouge 1.000 cases
HECTARES PER APPELLATION
- White wines
Hermitage 4
Condrieu 2,5
Crozes Hermitage 'Domaine Mule Blanche' 7
Crozes Hermitage 'Domaine de Roure' 3
Saint-Joseph 1,25
Saint-Péray 1,25
Châteauneuf du Pape 1
- Red wines
Hermitage 21
Crozes Hermitage 'Domaine de Thalabert' 45
Crozes Hermitage 'Domaine de Roure' 2,15
Saint-Joseph 6,25
Cornas 'Domaine de Saint-Pierre' 4,75
Cornas 'Les Grandes Terrasses' 1,35
Côte Rôtie 2,7
Châteauneuf du Pape 11
THE WINES
Exceptional wines that provide huge pleasure: The wines of Paul Jaboulet Aîné give a real taste of the northern and southern Rhône Valley. As a reflection of the spirit of perfection of our House, Jaboulet’s style is based on precision, patience and excellence. Their range is divided up into four: the Icônes, the Domaines, the vins de Vignerons and the Incontournables.
- The Icônes acquire their style from the best of their Hermitage plots. These plots, which are divided between different terroirs, each provide aromatic and elegant complexity, with well-structured tannins. Blending these gives rise to our inimitable red and white Hermitages.
- The Domaines represent the savoir-faire of winemakers. For two centuries, Maison Paul Jaboulet Aîné has built up this reputation, and it now has a hundred or so hectares in the great appellations such as Côte Rôtie, Crozes Hermitage, Cornas, Condrieu, Saint-Joseph, Saint-Péray and Hermitage.
- The Incontournables represent an introduction to the wines of Paul Jaboulet Aîné. By offering a genuine reflection of the generic Côtes du Rhône appellation through its “Parallèle 45” and of the Syrah and Viognier grapes through its “Petit Jaboulet”, these wines will surprise you by the pleasure their tastes provide.
WINE TASTING
Hermitage La Chapelle Red Wine - 2004 (131,00€) - 2007 (170,00€) - 2001 (189,00€)
- History: The name of Hermitage La Chapelle is linked to the little chapel of Saint-Christophe overlooking the terraced vineyards along the Rhône. Maison Paul Jaboulet Aîné has been the sole owner since 1919. The diversity of “terroirs” on these lands gives this wine an identity of its own, thanks to the blending of grapes from different plots.
In the heart of the Rhône Valley, this small chapel has become one of the world’s great historic buildings
La Chapelle, the jewel of Maison Jaboulet, has a rich and emotive history. During the 13th century, a knight called Gaspard de Sterimberg settled in the hills of Tain l’Hermitage with the permission of Blanche de Castille. On his return from the crusades, he sought calm and serenity and isolated himself as a hermit, hence the name of the Hermitage appellation. There he built a Chapel, overlooking the Rhône Valley.
La Chapelle endured the passage of time and finally became the property of Maison Paul Jaboulet Aîné in 1919.
Hermitage “La Chapelle” is a blend of terroirs, including the prestigious hillsides of Méal and Bessards. Each one provides its own aromatic characteristics, as well as an elegant tannin structure, giving the wine great ageing potential.
Since the legendary 1961 vintage, which was classed as one of the Twelve mythical wines of the 20th century, Hermitage “la Chapelle” has become one of the world’s most sought-after wines.
Its fame has led Maison Paul Jaboulet Aîné to revive a historical tradition by producing a few bottles of 2006 “la Chapelle” white wine.
- Soil: The Syrah vines are planted in rich and varied soils with very diverse terroirs (les Bessards, les Greffieux, le Méal and les Rocoules).
It is the richness of these different terroirs that provides our Hermitage La Chapelle with its complexity.
- Grape Variety: Very old Syrah vines; goblet pruning on stakes.
- Age of the vines: 40 to 60 years.
- Vinification: Grapes are brought down from the slopes of l’Hermitage on small sledges, after which they are sorted by hand and vinified traditionally in our wineries. Final blending is carried out during the ageing process and is done through judicious selection from the different terroirs of l’Hermitage.
- Ageing: La Chapelle is aged in wood in our ancient “VINEUM” cellar for 15 to 18 months. During this process the wines are also racked.
- Yield: Low yields of 10 to 18 hl/ha.
- Tasting: Colour: Intense ruby red, limpid and bright. Bouquet: Highly complex, distinguished nose, revealing the Syrah’s great finesse. Black fruits, sweet spices and, ultimately, finely woody. Palate: Full and generous, silky tannins and a very long finish.
- Matching Food and Wine: Tournedos rossini; Braised veal sweetbread with morels; Roast squab with cèpes.
- Serving Temperature: 16 to 18°.
- Best enjoyed within: 15 to 25 years.
‘Domaine de Terre Ferme’ 2010 - Chateauneuf-du-Pape - White Wine - 26,85 €
- Tasting: “The delicious 2010 Domaine de Terre Ferme Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc is a blend of 80% Grenache Blanc and 20% Clairette aged in old wood barrels. Fresh and lively, it offers up hints of honeysuckle, white currants and flowers, good acidity, full body, and lots of texture and character. Enjoy it over the next 2-3 years.” Robert Parker - 91
- History: This is the most famous appellation in the southern area and one of the best known both in France and abroad. It first achieved prominence during the Avignon Papacy between 1309 and 1376. It was Pope John XXII who developed the now ruined château. Domaine de Terre Ferme draws its name from the main location of its vineyards.
It is also made at Font de Michelle and Fangueiron. Owned by Domaines Paul Jaboulet Aîné since 2007, major work has been undertaken to restore the vineyards: the complantation of old vines, the complete restructuring of individual vineyards in order to allow for the resumption of mechanical work on the land and the employment of a local team of wine growers.
- Soil: Very pebbly, essentially comprising rounded pebbles embedded in sandy-clayey earth, resting on a sandy-gravelly terrace at Terre Ferme and Fangueiron. The south-facing vines produce rich, warm wines.
- Grape Variety: 80% Grenache Blanc; 20% Clairette.
- Age of the Vines: 55 to 95 years.
- Yield: 20 hl/ha
Domaine de Terre Ferme 2010
- Weather conditions: The south Rhône Valley was, on this year 2010, blessed the gods. A normally watered spring, a warm and dry summer but without excess allowed the grapes to mature in optimal conditions. Wines are walls, rich, dense, fresh with a grain of tannins of great distinction. A vintage allying the wealth of the sun and the elegance of the balance. Wines of big guarding!
- Date of harvest: From 15 to 16 September 2010.
- Vinfication: Bunches of grapes pressed whole, then fermented in French oak barrels, 15% of which are new.
- Ageing: Aged in French oak barrels for 10 months on fine lees.
- Matching food and wine: Fillet of sea bass with thinly-sliced fennel Shoulder of kid with rosemary and small garden vegetables Tagliatelle with truffles and foie gras
- Serving temperature: 12°to 14°.
‘Domaine des Grands Amandiers’ 2009 - Condrieu - White Wine - 45,90 €
- Notes de dégustation: Un Condrieu aux accents exotiques avec des notes d’ananas et de mangue mais aussi des notes florales comme le jasmin et la rose. La bouche est volumineuse et riche et s’appuie sur une belle fraîcheur qui permet à ce Condrieu de présenter une belle longueur aromatique.
- History: Treasured by the Popes of Avignon in the 14th Century, the story of Condrieu has evolved alongside the history of France. At the beginning of the last century, only about 10 hectares of vineyards remained. The creation of a Condrieu AOC (a protected designation of origin) in 1940, however, paved the way for the rebirth of Condrieu and its ascension to the greatest heights among the white wines of France today.
- Soil: Granite broken down into arenite (sand).
- Grape Variety: 100% Viognier.
- Age of the vines: 10 to 30 years.
- Yield: 20 hl/ha.
Domaine des Grands Amandiers 2009
- Weather conditions: More than the heat, the striking factor of vintage 2009 was the drought - only 131mm of rains fell between April and September. Fortunately, however, the autumn and winter of 2008/2009 was particularly rainy and cold, allowing the ground waters to retain good levels of fresh water.
- Date of harvest: From 3 to 10 September 2009.
- Vinification: Bunches of grapes pressed whole, then fermented in oak barrels, 15% of which are made from brand new wood.
- Ageing: Made into wine and aged in French oak barrels for 10 months.
- Matching food and wine: Aperitifs; Warm asparagus with mousseline sauce; Fillets of sole with chanterelle mushrooms and ginger; Rigotte de Condrieu or Picodon de I’Ardèche goat’s cheese.
- Serving temperature: 12° to 14°.
- Best enjoyed within: For 5 to 10 years.
‘Le Chevalier de Sterimberg’ 2010 - Hermitage - White Wine - 48,35 €
- Tasting: “There are approximately 1,000 cases of the 2010 Hermitage Chevalier de Sterimberg, a barrel-fermented blend of 70% Marsanne and 30% Roussanne that is aged in small oak. This ageworthy white possesses terrific acidity as well as lots of white peach, apricot, citrus oil, floral, marmalade and honeysuckle notes. With fabulous richness, good acidity and a long finish, it should provide plenty of pleasure for 20+ years. The resurrection of the white Hermitage La Chapelle (100% Marsanne) is an enormous success story.” Robert Parker - 92
- History: The little chapel of Saint-Christophe is situated at the top of the hillside. It was built in 1235 by the knight Gaspard de Sterimberg after he gained the permission of the ‘White Queen of Castille’ to establish his hermitage on this hill after being injured during the Albigensian crusade of 1224.
- Soil: Our Roussanne and Marsanne grapes are grown in clay-chalk and sandy, pebble soils on steep slopes, producing complex and elegant white Hermitage wines.
- Grape Variety: 70% Marsanne ; 30% Roussanne.
- Age of the vines: 35 years.
- Yield: 30 hl/ha.
Le Chevalier de Sterimberg 2010
- Weather conditions: The winter was cold and wet with 600mm of rain between October and mid April with an average annual rainfall of 750mm. April ended warmly but the weather was rather varied during the rest of spring. In summer, temperatures were raised with an almost scorching episode in July. In September, favourable sunny conditions resulted in freshness and beautiful balance.
- Date of harvest: 6 to 14 September 2010
- Vinification: The grapes are harvested by hand into small, 20kg crates, then pressed straight away so as to minimise any risk of oxidation. The wines are then vinified traditionally in wood.
- Ageing: Following acoholic fermentation in wood, the lees are regularly brought back into suspension through stirring over the 8 to 10 month ageing process, providing the wines with elegant and complex aromas.
- Matching food and wine: Navarin of lobster with young vegetables; Roast kid with honey and confit pears; Scallops with leak fondu
- Serving temperature: 12° to 14°
- Best enjoyed within: 6 to 25 years.
‘Domaine de Terre Ferme’ 2009 - Chateauneuf-du-Pape - Red Wine - 50,95 €
- Tasting: "The Domaine de Terre Ferme 2009 Chateauneuf du Pape (aged in foudres) is sensational. Deep ruby/purple, with sweet kirsch, black currant, licorice, barbecue smoke, and camphor, the wine is full-bodied, opulently textured, and impressively long. This wine should drink well for 10-15 years". Robert Parker- 92-94.
- History: This is the most famous appellation in the southern area and one of the best known both in France and abroad. It first achieved prominence during the Avignon Papacy between 1309 and 1376. It was Pope John XXII who developed the now- ruined château. Domaine de Terre Ferme draws its name from the main location of its vineyards.
It is also made at Font de Michelle and Fangueiron. Owned by Domaines Paul Jaboulet Aîné since 2007, major work has been undertaken to restore the vineyards: the complantation of old vines, the complete restructuring of individual vineyards in order to allow for the resumption of mechanical work on the land and the employment of a local team of wine growers.
- Soil: Very pebbly, essentially comprising rounded pebbles embedded in sandy-clayey earth, resting on a sandy-gravelly terrace at Terre Ferme and Fangueiron. The south-facing vines produce rich, warm wines.
- Grape Variety: Grenache; Mourvèdre.
- Age of the vines: 80 years.
- Yield: 25hl/ha
Domaine de Terre Ferme 2009
- Weather conditions: The Southern Rhône Valley returned to its most basic - with a vintage that was hot and dry. The month of August saw some strong heat, a few sectors even suffered from dryness. The results are concentrated, dense and rich wines and a very tiny output which remains elegant and balanced thanks to our work in the vineyards and the age of our vines.
- Date of harvest: 27 August 2009
- Vinification: The grapes are taken to Tain I’Hermitage by refrigerated lorry to be made into wine. Traditional winemaking, with temperature- controlled alcoholic fermentation. Grapes are fermented on their skins for 3 weeks.
- Ageing: 12 months in oak tuns and barrels.
- Matching food and wine: Ox cheek stew; Roast squab pigeon with garlic confit; Camargue bull stew.
- Serving temperature: 15° to 17°.
- Best enjoyed within: 10 to 20 years.
‘Domaine des Pierrelles’ 2009 - Côte-Rôtie - Red Wine - 74,90 €
- Tasting: “From nearly 7 acres of vines in Tupin in Côte Rôtie, the 2009 Côte Rôtie Domaine des Pierrelles (100% Syrah) exhibits elegant raspberry, black currant, black olive, incense, spice box and licorice notes. While neither the densest nor richest red in the Jaboulet portfolio in 2009, it is a wine of undeniable elegance and finesse that should drink nicely for 10-15 years.” Robert Parker: 90-92
- History: During the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, the reputation of Ampuis wines grew incessantly. Records exist from before the French Revolution of Côte Rôtie wines being shipped to the princely tables of England, Russia, Prussia - and France, of course. It is said that Lord Maugiron divided his estate between his two daughters, one blonde, the other brunette, which is how the wines came to be named Côte Brune and Côte Blonde. Our vineyards are located in Côte Blonde, which has a reputation for producing smooth, well-rounded wines.
- Soil: Our 1.5 hectares of vines grow in soils comprising decomposed mica-schist mixed into loess depressions. There are outcrops of the parent rock in some places.
- Grape Variety: 100% Syrah.
- Age of the vines: 20 to 30 years.
- Yield: 25 hl/ha
Domaine des Pierrelles 2009
- Weather conditions: The Southern Rhône Valley returned to its most basic - with a vintage that was hot and dry. The month of August saw some strong heat, a few sectors even suffered from dryness. The results are concentrated, dense and rich wines and a very tiny output which remains elegant and balanced thanks to our work in the vineyards and the age of our vines.
- Date of harvest: 28 September 2009.
- Vinification: Once harvested, the grapes are sorted, destemmed, crushed and fermented in temperature-controlled vats. 3 to 4 weeks of maceration.
- Ageing: 12 months in oak barrels, 20% of which are made from new wood.
- Matching Food and Wine: Mullet mille-feuille with black olive puree; Half pigeon with truffles and wild mushroom ravioli; Fillet of beef fried with chanterelle mushrooms; Noisette of lamb with gingerbread.
- Serving Temperature: 16° to 18°
- Best enjoyed within: About 5 to 15 years.
‘La Petite Chapelle’ 2007 - Hermitage - Red Wine - 62,10€
- Tasting: Colour: black cherry colour, limpid and attractively bright. Bouquet: Intense and aromatic with sweet spices, floral notes of peonies and very ripe fruit. Palate: Powerful and harmonious attack, noble tannins and a very long finish.
- History: The grapes from the various plots of this estate, situated on the Hermitage hill, are vinified separately, right up until the final blending, which takes place one year after the harvest. This is how we create our two red Hermitage wines: “La Chapelle” and “La Petite Chapelle”. Our first vintage was 2001.
- Soil: The Syrah vines are planted in rich and varied soils with very diverse terroirs (les Bessards, les Greffieux, le Meal and les Dionnieres).
It is the richness of these different terroirs that provides our Hermitage 'La Petite Chapelle’ with its complexity.
- Grape variety: Very old Syrah vines; goblet pruning on stakes.
- Age of the vines: 40 to 60 years.
- Yield: Low yields of 15 to 25 hl/ha.
La Petite Chapelle 2007
- Weather conditions: The winter is particularly soft and dry. Early spring is very hot with temperatures familiarly 30
- Date of harvest: From 3rd to 9th October 2007.
- Vinification: Grapes are brought down from the slopes of I’Hermitage on small sledges, after which they are sorted by hand and vinified traditionally in our winery. The final blending is done at the end of the ageing process and done through judicious selection from the different terroirs of I’Hermitage.
- Ageing: La Petite Chapelle is aged in French oak barrels in our cellar for 15 to 18 months. During this process the wines are racked 2 times.
- Matching food and wine: Quail stuffed with foie gras; Duck breast with cherries; Milk-fed lamb en croute de foin.
- Serving temperature: 16°C to 18°C.
- Best enjoyed within: 10 to 25 years.
Domaine Jaboulet
Vineum 25 Place deu Taurobole
26600 Tain L´Hermitage
Tlf: 04 75 09 26 20
Web: www.jaboulet.com