Paul Jaboulet Aîné
About Paul Jaboulet Aîné
Undoubtedly one of the greatest names in the Rhône Valley, Paul Jaboulet Aîné was founded in 1834 by Antoine Jaboulet and is perhaps best known for its flagship La Chapelle, of which the 1961 vintage still holds the title as one of the greatest wines ever made. A series of mishaps in the 1990s threw the estate in disarray and it took the financial might of the Frey family to set the estate on a path to recovery.
Since 2006, the Frey family have accomplished an impressive feat at Paul Jaboulet Aine by taking this historic estate to its rightful place as the first growth of the Rhone. With their experience at Chateau La Lagune in Bordeaux, the Frey family saw the potential in Jaboulet’s vineyards, including the important and iconic vineyard, Hermitage La Chapelle.
Caroline Frey has since taken over as owner and winemaker of Paul Jaboulet Aîné and within 10 years, enabled Paul Jaboulet Aîné to attain organic certification.
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Wine Advocate (94)
The 2017 Cote Rotie Domaine des Pierrelles is full-bodied but exceedingly elegant, with silky, fine-grained tannins. Charming notes of violets, raspberries and black olives lead the way, backed by hints of dried spices and mocha, finishing long. It's a complex and compelling example of Cote Rotie, and it's great to see all of the Jaboulet team's hard work in the vineyards paying off.$436.00 -
Vinous (94)
Deep, shimmering violet. Expansive, mineral- and spice-accented black and blue fruit aromas show excellent clarity and pick up a suave floral note with air. Shows impressive depth as well as energy to the sweet black raspberry, boysenberry and candied violet flavors, which turn spicier on the back half. The floral and mineral notes drive a very long, juicy finish framed by smooth, even tannins.$158.00 -
Vinous (94)
Dark ruby. Pungent, spice- and smoke-tinged dark berries, cherry pit, olive and potpourri on the assertively perfumed nose. Juicy and energetic on the palate, offering gently sweet red and dark berry flavors, along with floral pastille, allspice, olive and cracked pepper notes. Fine-grained tannins add shape to a very long, lively finish that strongly echoes the floral and spice notes.$517.00 -
(6x150cl) 1999Vinous (89)
Deep red-ruby. Ripe, expressive aromas of smoked meat, leather and animal fur. Sweet but still tightly wound and firm; offers very good intensity and structure but is not yet especially sweet. Finishes with toothdusting tannins and good length.$838.00 -
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$224.00 -
Vinous (92)
Limpid straw-yellow. Ripe orchard and pit fruits on the mineral-tinged nose, along with an orange pith nuance that adds lift and focus. Concentrated, focused and gently sweet, offering juicy white peach, pear and honeysuckle flavors that become spicier as the wine opens up. A spicy quality emerges slowly on the sharply focused, tenacious finish, which echoes the mineral and floral notes.$187.00 -
Wine Advocate (94)
Bearing more than a passing resemblance to an actual Hermitage, the 2017 Crozes Hermitage Domaine de Roure comes from granitic soils, and it comes across as darker, more concentrated and sturdier than Jaboulet's other Crozes bottlings. Cassis and black olive notes abound in this full-bodied, structured wine, which finishes long and velvety, picking up hints of baking spices along the way.$277.00 -
Vinous (94)
Deep magenta. A highly perfumed bouquet evokes ripe red and blue fruits, potpourri and licorice, and a smoky mineral accent builds in the glass. Appealingly sweet and penetrating on the palate, offering juicy dark fruit preserve and floral pastille flavors that are brightened by a snap of juicy acidity and a building, spicy nuance. Clings with impressive tenacity on the gently tannic finish, leaving behind Chambord and exotic spice notes.$233.00 -
(7x75cl) 2003Vinous (91+)
Deep ruby. Very ripe and warm on the nose, but not pruney or over the top. A big, round wine with lush dark berry and cherry compote flavors and a serious, chewy texture. A bit youthfully inexpressive today but the power and concentration of the material are obvious. Notes of espresso and candied licorice emerged with aeration. Frederic Jaboulet noted that production was down from a normal 20,000 cases to 7,000.$422.00 -
(1x75cl) 2010Wine Advocate (93)
The 2010 Crozes-Hermitage Domaine de Thalabert, which I raved about last year, is slightly better than their brilliant 2009. It boasts a dense purple color along with a beautiful perfume of camphor, licorice, forest floor, black currants and Christmas fruitcake. With tremendous intensity, full body and supple tannins, it should drink well for 10-15 years, perhaps longer where well-stored. This cuvee is always one of the best buys in the Northern Rhone.$71.00 -
(6x75cl) 2010
Wine Advocate (93)
The 2010 Crozes-Hermitage Domaine de Thalabert, which I raved about last year, is slightly better than their brilliant 2009. It boasts a dense purple color along with a beautiful perfume of camphor, licorice, forest floor, black currants and Christmas fruitcake. With tremendous intensity, full body and supple tannins, it should drink well for 10-15 years, perhaps longer where well-stored. This cuvee is always one of the best buys in the Northern Rhone.$249.30 -
(6x75cl) 2012
Vinous (92)
Inky ruby. Displays lively, spice-tinged black raspberry and cherry aromas, with notes of fresh flowers and minerals adding lift. Seamless and precise on the palate, offering nervy red and dark berry flavors plus hints of licorice and cola. In a lively, elegant style, finishing with strong cut, supple tannins and a lingering note of candied flowers.$380.00 -
(6x150cl) 2015Vinous (94)
Inky ruby. Suave, mineral-accented scents of ripe blueberry, black currant and Indian spices, along with a slowly emerging floral component. Plush, broad and deeply concentrated, displaying black and blue fruit, licorice and mocha flavors that are energized by an intense, peppery overtone. Finishes extremely long, fleshy and sweet, delivering intense mineral thrust, a subtle cracked pepper nuance and youthful, building tannins.$409.00 -
Wine Advocate (93-95)
Although the fruit sourcing has changed from the old days, the 2018 Crozes Hermitage Domaine de Thalabert remains a solid offering in the Jaboulet lineup. Violets accent blackberries and plums on the nose, while the palate is full-bodied, lush and velvety, underscored by doses of salinity and licorice on the lengthy finish.$187.00 -
(1x150cl) 2019Matthew Jukes (18+)
Following on from the terrific 2018 vintage, this is another exuberant wine with an inky dark hue and masses of swirling, black fruit notes. This is certainly the most exotically perfumed Thalabert I can remember and this reflects the unique fruit concentration and ripeness found in this vintage. Once you taste this wine you see that it is not all about the luxuriously appointed nose because the palate is packed with spice and tension and the finish is positively electric. In terms of accessibility and also potential, this wine is a conundrum – how can something so young and attractive also seem so compact and age-worthy? This is the key to all of Jaboulet’s 2019s. The exquisite balance between ravishing fruit and refreshing, robust tannins is mesmerising. This is a stupendous Thalabert and I think it is a notch up on the brilliant 2018.$126.00 -
Matthew Jukes (18+)
Following on from the terrific 2018 vintage, this is another exuberant wine with an inky dark hue and masses of swirling, black fruit notes. This is certainly the most exotically perfumed Thalabert I can remember and this reflects the unique fruit concentration and ripeness found in this vintage. Once you taste this wine you see that it is not all about the luxuriously appointed nose because the palate is packed with spice and tension and the finish is positively electric. In terms of accessibility and also potential, this wine is a conundrum – how can something so young and attractive also seem so compact and age-worthy? This is the key to all of Jaboulet’s 2019s. The exquisite balance between ravishing fruit and refreshing, robust tannins is mesmerising. This is a stupendous Thalabert and I think it is a notch up on the brilliant 2018.$184.00 -
Matthew Jukes (18+)
Yet another beautiful 2020, Thalabert is deep, dark and brooding in this vintage, and it has an almost Italianate liquorice and black-fruited theme underpinning its Syrah characters. This makes it an indulgent treat, and the palate is more velvety and forward than any young Thalabert I have tasted. In addition, it has the stuffing to age well, too. What more could you ask for?$145.00 -
Matthew Jukes (18+)
Yet another beautiful 2020, Thalabert is deep, dark and brooding in this vintage, and it has an almost Italianate liquorice and black-fruited theme underpinning its Syrah characters. This makes it an indulgent treat, and the palate is more velvety and forward than any young Thalabert I have tasted. In addition, it has the stuffing to age well, too. What more could you ask for?$147.00 -
Matthew Jukes (18+)
Yet another beautiful 2020, Thalabert is deep, dark and brooding in this vintage, and it has an almost Italianate liquorice and black-fruited theme underpinning its Syrah characters. This makes it an indulgent treat, and the palate is more velvety and forward than any young Thalabert I have tasted. In addition, it has the stuffing to age well, too. What more could you ask for?$187.00 -
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Wine Advocate (100)
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.$1,770.00 -
(1x75cl) 1982
Vintage Tastings (94)
Was a huge hit, with lots of oohs and aahs and good reason: this is what mature La Chapelle is all about. Rudy was admiring its .high-toned raspberry fruit,. which there was along with mint, game, earth, fig and cherry. Rudy observed that it did not have the density of the 1990 or 1978, which it did not, but there was still great structure, and the wine was not plateauing just yet. There was also still expression of tannin in its leathery, dry finish. It was a beautiful wine and very open.$486.00 -
(12x75cl) 1985
Wine Advocate (95)
One of the more finesse driven wines in the vertical, the 1985 Hermitage la Chapelle offered beautiful, complex notes of coffee beans, dried meats, potpourri and mint to go with a full-bodied, elegant and seamless feel on the palate. Following on the heels of the monster-sized '89, it still stood out for its purity, fine tannin and length on the finish. It's a beautiful wine drinking at point.$3,995.00 -
(6x75cl) 1985
Wine Advocate (95)
One of the more finesse driven wines in the vertical, the 1985 Hermitage la Chapelle offered beautiful, complex notes of coffee beans, dried meats, potpourri and mint to go with a full-bodied, elegant and seamless feel on the palate. Following on the heels of the monster-sized '89, it still stood out for its purity, fine tannin and length on the finish. It's a beautiful wine drinking at point.$2,155.00 -
(12x75cl) 1990
Decanter (100)
Jaboulet's Hermitage La Chapelle 1961, 1978 and 1990 are considered to be among the greatest wines ever made in the Rhône Valley. The 1990 was sourced from Les Bessards, Le Méal and Les Rocoules, with the vines at the time between 40 and 60 years old. The grapes were hand-harvested, destemmed and macerated for three to four weeks, then matured in barrel for 15-18 months, 20% new wood. It's still amazingly dark in colour, with an immediately intense, savoury expression on the nose reminiscent of beef stock. Dried roses and roasted beef bones come through on the medium- to full-bodied palate, but there's also still fruit, not yet dried out at all. There's a touch of mint on the finish and a prickle of furry tannins. This still has a good sense of density and drive - an extraordinary wine with a reputation that's fully deserved.$8,686.00
