Wine Advisor
Paul Jaboulet Aine, Hermitage La Chapelle Blanc 2006
View analysis
Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The Freys have resurrected the Hermitage La Chapelle blanc, which had not been made at Jaboulet since 1961. The 2006 is outstanding. Made from 100% Marsanne and put through full malolactic, it possesses a beautiful perfume of honeysuckle, crushed rocks, rose petals, and nectarines. In the mouth, marzipan, hazelnuts, quince, and honey are on display. This superb, full-bodied, dry white should drink nicely for 10-15+ years. Readers have to recognize that everything is in a state of transition at Paul Jaboulet-Aine. The Jaboulets sold this old family firm, founded in the early eighteen hundreds, to the Frey family, major investors in the Billecart-Salmon Champagne house and proprietors of Chateau La Lagune in the Medoc. A new winemaking team, which includes the brilliant Bordeaux Professor Denis Dubourdieu for the white wines, has been installed. As these tasting notes demonstrates, they seem to be moving quickly to erase some of the lackluster wines produced from the mid-1990s through 2004. However, much still needs improvement. I suspect, given the Frey’s resources as well as their accomplishments at Chateau La Lagune, this historic firm is in good hands, and the listless quality of these releases will be forgotten very quickly. The red wine portfolio includes some disappointing cuvees, especially the 2005s, which seem to have narrowed out and become harder, leaner, and more austere. The first vintage for which the Frey family had some degree of control, 2006, is a mixed year, but generally the wines are good. Importer: Frederick Wildman, New York, NY; tel. (212) 355-0700
Reviewed by: Jeb Dunnuck
Another impressive white is the 2006 Hermitage la Chapelle Blanc. It too is mature, with full-bodied notes of buttered stone fruits, white currants, honeysuckle and hazelnuts all emerging from the glass. Possessing a touch more richness than the le Chevalier de Sterimberg, it’s drinking beautifully today, yet should keep for a decade (or more).
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at Liberty’s Annual Jaboulet tasting. Just four barrels of this pure Marsanne produced for the first time since 1961, souced from Terroir des Rocoules is matured for 8 months on their lees in 50% new oak and 50% one-year old It has a subtle, understated bouquet with hints of brioche, lime, dried apricot and a beeswax all with fine definition. The palate is medium-bodied with very well judged acidity, fine balance, understated with a waxy texture and hints of honeycomb on the finish. Elegant and charming. Tasted November 2008.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The rare 3,000-bottle cuvee of 100% Marsanne, the 2006 Hermitage La Chapelle blanc (the first vintage of this wine made since 1961) is a noble, complex white wine displaying notes of crushed rocks, flowers, quince, white currants, and white peaches. Very full-bodied with superb acidity and freshness, this is a stunning effort. They only make the white La Chapelle in the greatest vintages, and none was made in 2007. I have previously documented the decline in quality at this estate following the tragic death of Gerard Jaboulet. That ended in the unexpected sale of Paul Jaboulet-Aine to the Frey family that has done such brilliant work at Bordeaux’s Chateau La Lagune, and are major shareholders in the superb Champagne house of Billecart-Salmon. No doubt they will resurrect the reputation and the quality of the Jaboulet wines, as this was the leading estate in the northern Rhone during the sixties, seventies, and eighties. The Freys have already made some dramatic changes, moving toward eliminating the negociant line of wines, and concentrating exclusively on estate bottled offerings. They own over 120 acres in the northern Rhone as well as 14+ acres in the southern Rhone. The following offerings reflect the recent changes and a work in progress, with the 2006s still under-performing (the Frey family was not in a position to do much in that vintage). The 2007s are clearly better, and I believe that in a few years, when the northern Rhone has its next great vintage, consumers will see a dramatic increase in quality as the new owners have already brought in the world-famous oenologist, Professor Denis Dubourdieu as a consultant. Any readers who have some of the old vintages of Crozes-Hermitage Domaine de Thalabert in their cellars should be checking them out. The 1978 and 1990 are still brilliant wines, but neither the 2006 or the 2007 will invoke memories of those wines. Importer: Frederick Wildman, New York, NY; tel. (212) 355-0700
Reviewed by: Josh Raynolds
(100% marsanne; a limited-production item representing a selection of the best lots from Rocoules) Greenish straw. Potent lemon, nectarine, botanical herbs and dried flowers on the nose, with an undercurrent of minerals. Firm and dry, with palate-staining citrus and pit fruit flavors, slow-building minerality and a late wallop of succulent herbs. Strikingly complex wine with note-worthy depth and persistence.
About the Producer
Domaine Paul Jaboulet Aine is the most famous and most representative winery in the Rhone Valley region of France. Hectares of vineyards and a super winery with an annual output of nearly 4 million bottles. Gabler Winery originated from the Hermitage Mountains. In 1834, Mr. Anthony began to plant grapes in this area, and he has linked his life to this land since then. With his passion and perseverance in winemaking, the quality of the wines produced by the winery has continued to rise to his sons Paul and Henri. And Paul added his own name "Paul" to the name of the winery, and the name Domaine Paul Jaboulet Aine has been used to this day. The Gabor family continued to operate the winery and maintained a high standard until 2006 when the Frey family acquired part of the management rights of the winery. The Frey family have long been winemakers in the Champagne region and are the owners of Chateau La Lagune in Bordeaux. The Hermitage vineyards are located on terraced fields between 130 and 250 meters above sea level, with soils of sand, gravel and gravel blocks in the lower part and brown soil and rocky soil in the upper part. The area is only 26 hectares, in addition to the 5 hectares of white grape varieties, the red grapes are only 21 hectares, scattered around the chapel at the top of the Hermitage hills. 6,000 Syrah vines are planted per hectare, with an average age of 45 years, producing 3,000 liters of wine per hectare. Not only grapes are planted on the Hermitage hills, but also fruits such as cherries and pears are planted in the same proportion. Fruits planted around the vineyards often bring the same fruit aroma to the grapes. In 1919, Hermitage La Chapelle bought the Hermitage La Chapelle, and its top red wine, Hermitage La Chapelle, has been included in the list of the most outstanding red wines in the world. Made from 100% Syrah and aged in oak barrels for 18 months, this wine is known as an exemplary wine of the extraordinary quality and amazing potential of Rhone Valley Syrah. Only 2,500 bottles of Gabora Church Garden red wine are produced each year, and it is said that the quota for the Asian market is only 400 bottles. Production of this wine was discontinued in 1961, and it was produced again after 2006. With a strict winemaking tradition and respect for nature, Gabora Winery produces no more than 4,000 liters per hectare, and each gardener takes care of the vineyard with no more than 2.5 hectares, which is three times less than the average vineyard. In addition, the bottle's unique long neck, dark color and calm design allow the wine to last longer. The wines of Château Gaboraux have now been exported to more than 70 countries. The high-quality grapes and exquisite brewing techniques have created elegant but affordable wines, which perfectly present the rich, powerful and rich and varied characteristics of the wines of the Rhone Valley. Gabora Winery hollowed out a 20-meter-high hill into a 10-meter-high cavity as a natural wine cellar, which is unique. Not only is there natural low temperature here, but the stalactites in the cave are intertwined, making it dizzying.
