Paul Jaboulet Aîné
Hermitage La Petite Chapelle
Syrah/Shiraz from Rhône, France
Bottle size:
750 ml
Shipping: R100 nationwide
Paul Jaboulet Aîné
In 1834, when Antoine Jaboulet set up his business in Tain l’Hermitage with the aim of producing great wines, he saw his future profession as 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. In 2006, the Freys (owners of Chateau La Lagune in Bordeaux) took over Paul Jaboulet Aine, where winemaker Caroline now works with her teams in a single-minded quest for perfection; combining cutting-edge winemaking with the scrupulous care given to vines grown in exceptional terroirs. They have since also acquired vineyards in the appellations of Cote Rotie, Condrieu and Crozes Hermitage. All estates are now certified organic and the team broadly follow bio-dynamic principles. Jaboulet’s most celebrated wine is its famed Hermitage La Chapelle, named after the chapel that overlooks this most celebrated of vineyards. Jaboulet have owned the chapel since the end of the First World War – it’s an icon of this part of the Rhone Valley and marks where the best vines are grown.
Description
Glass-staining ruby. Bright, mineral-accented red and dark berry aroma are complicated by notes of fresh violet and spice cake. At once concentrated and lithe, offering vibrant black raspberry and bitter cherry flavours that pick up smokiness and sweetness of air. Quite graceful for a young Hermitage, with a light touch that reminds me of Côte-Rotie. Closes spicy and very long with building flora and smooth tannins sneaking in late.
Food Pairing
Quail stuffed foie gras, duck breast with cherries, milk-fed lamb en croûte de foin.