1996 Hermitage La Chapelle

Paul Jaboulet Aîné, a historically significant house/domaine and one of the oldest in the Rhône Valley, continues to issue high-quality wines, as their 2019s and 2020s clearly attest. Under the watchful owner Caroline Frey, the wines have become much more consistent than before her family purchased the company in 2006. There are a fair number of remarkable wines from the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, but back then, quality was erratic. For every amazing, even legendary wine, from, say, 1961, 1978, 1985, 1989, 1990 and 1991, a far greater number of bottlings missed the mark, sometimes widely. That’s certainly not the case today.

Paul Jaboulet Aîné, a historically significant house/domaine and one of the oldest in the Rhône Valley, continues to issue high-quality wines, as their 2019s and 2020s clearly attest. Under the watchful owner Caroline Frey, the wines have become much more consistent than before her family purchased the company in 2006. There are a fair number of remarkable wines from the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, but back then, quality was erratic. For every amazing, even legendary wine, from, say, 1961, 1978, 1985, 1989, 1990 and 1991, a far greater number of bottlings missed the mark, sometimes widely. That’s certainly not the case today.

Production was way off for Jaboulet in 2017, courtesy of a hot, arid summer, but the wines are definitely up to snuff, showing little in the way of overripeness or loose-knit character. Indeed, I found many of the 2017s to be at a quality level approaching the excellent, if more buoyant 2016s. The thick skins of the small berries ensured less juice than usual but, interestingly, I didn’t detect excessive tannins, which one might expect with high skin-to-juice ratios. Jean-Luc Chapel, who oversees international marketing for the Frey family’s wineries, told me that he sees the 2017s as wine “that could easily be enjoyed soon, especially while waiting for the 2015s, but it’s a mistake to see it as a vintage that must be drunk young.” They’re surprisingly balanced for wines from a warm year, he said. “They’re maybe comparable to 2009, and those wines are aging extremely well.” All of the wines here are made with de-stemmed fruit and see between 15% and 20% new oak.

Production was way off for Jaboulet in 2017, courtesy of a hot, arid summer, but the wines are definitely up to snuff, showing little in the way of overripeness or loose-knit character. Indeed, I found many of the 2017s to be at a quality level approaching the excellent, if more buoyant 2016s. The thick skins of the small berries ensured less juice than usual but, interestingly, I didn’t detect excessive tannins, which one might expect with high skin-to-juice ratios. Jean-Luc Chapel, who oversees international marketing for the Frey family’s wineries, told me that he sees the 2017s as wine “that could easily be enjoyed soon, especially while waiting for the 2015s, but it’s a mistake to see it as a vintage that must be drunk young.” They’re surprisingly balanced for wines from a warm year, he said. “They’re maybe comparable to 2009, and those wines are aging extremely well.” All of the wines here are made with de-stemmed fruit and see between 15% and 20% new oak.

Caroline Frey told me that there was “extreme variation during the entire growing season” in 2017. “It’s not an easy one to generalize,” she said, pointing out that the resulting wines don’t behave like those from most hot vintages. “It was a warm, dry winter and it got things started fast, with budbreak in late March, more than two weeks earlier than 2016.” But then there was delayed flowering that began only in early June because of cold weather that came in mid-April and held steady until the end of May. The weather warmed up quickly and hot, dry conditions, with the exception of some hard rains in May and mid-June, defined the late spring and the summer. Harvest commenced early, in the second week of September, and clement weather allowed it to extend into mid-October, with a small crop realized of ‘healthy and uniformly ripe fruit across the appellations.” The resulting wines are “well-concentrated from the warmth, low yields and small berries, but also quite energetic for their volume and power,” Caroline Frey thinks. These 2017s are, indeed, on the rich side, with plenty of depth, power and dark fruit character. They are not overripe, however, which should help them age slowly and positively.

In Caroline Frey’s opinion, the 2016 vintage “turned out extremely well considering the work that was required in the vineyard, getting rid of hail-damaged grapes and later the ones hit by mildew.” Yields were way down, she told me, “but what made it through was extremely high-quality.” This is a completely different set of wines than the outstanding 2015s, showing abundant, lively fruit and intensely floral-driven bouquets. I’d cellar these wines with confidence, such is their balance and energy.

Caroline Frey and Jacques Desnervois’ 2016s are a worthy follow-up to the outstanding set of their 2015s but, the two vintages express completely different personalities. The big stumbling block in 2016 was yields, which were off dramatically as a consequence of the spring hailstorms. Fortunately, the damage was done early enough in the season to allow the Jaboulet team to clean things up in the vineyards. The fruit that was produced as a result “was of fantastic quality and very fresh” according to Desnervois. Caroline thinks 2016 will turn out to be a longer lived vintage than many people might expect, “it’s often the more graceful vintages that stand up for aging, while the massive years might never emerge from their weight and their structure.”

Based near Lausanne in Switzerland, Caroline Frey spends most of her time traveling between her family’s wineries in Bordeaux, Burgundy, Valais and the Rhône Valley. While she employs local staff in each, Frey ultimately calls the final shots on viticulture, winemaking and basically everything else. Just recently, though, her sister Delphine Frey joined the family operations, focusing on all marketing-related aspects. The 2022 reds are packed with density and ripeness, neatly maintaining a refreshing profile. Frey and I discussed the reasons why the wines are able to maintain such remarkable freshness despite the occasionally scorching high temperatures. She points out: “In some cases, it's better for the vines when temperatures rise above 40°C (104°F) than having longer periods of 35°C (95°F), because then the vines don’t shut down, and there’s lots of evapotranspiration. A temporary shutdown can be better as opposed to constantly high evaporation rates. In my opinion, those severe heat spikes of 2022, when some of the vines completely shut down, are part of the reason why the wines turned out so balanced. That being said, we had two rain showers in June and August, which were really important for the vines to continue with sugar accumulation and phenolic ripeness. Given September wasn't overly dry either, the severe dryness in 2022 mainly occurred during spring and the month of July.” Although the 2022 Hermitage La Chapelle is shaping up to be an outstanding rendition, I’m fairly sure the 2020 will have the edge in the long run. The 2021, on the other hand, is a more moderately concentrated La Chapelle whose substance and class are nowhere near that of 2020 or 2022. Looking more closely at the winemaking, Frey continues to destem all the grapes, regardless of the vintage. “In 2011 and 2012, we experimented with partial whole-cluster fermentation in Cornas, but I wasn’t convinced of the result. Of course, there are many great wines using stems during fermentation, but remember that the historical style of Jaboulet was never to use any stems. Furthermore, we’re already dealing with lower acidity levels in these exceptionally warm vintages. Using stems during fermentation automatically lowers acidity levels,” Frey remarked. The Hermitage La Chapelle now ages in a combination of 600-liter demi-muids, barriques and 16-hectoliter concrete eggs. When new oak is used, it doesn’t exceed 20%. An interesting winemaking choice by Frey is to block the malolactic conversion for all her whites, with the aim of maximizing freshness and energy. The whites I tasted here are indeed all distinctively fresh and vibrant, with the 2022 Hermitage La Chapelle Blanc Le Chevalier de Sterimberg a real standout. As of the 2021 vintage, both the Hermitage La Chapelle and Hermitage Blanc Le Chevalier de Sterimberg will be labeled as Domaine de La Chapelle rather than Paul Jaboulet Aîné. Frey explained the decision: “La Chapelle has such a strong identity on every level that it became clear to us, after years of work, that the next step for La Chapelle was to live on its own, under its own entity, and with the creation of its own winery at the bottom of the hill. While Paul Jaboulet Aîné will always be part of La Chapelle’s history, this change marks a new beginning in the La Chapelle story, which has been around since the 13th century.” Going forward, all wines from Domaine de la Chapelle will be distributed directly by Frey’s team for the French and US markets, while all other markets will be served via La Place de Bordeaux. At the same time, all Paul Jaboulet Aîné labeled wines will continue to be marketed by Frey’s team.

Beginning with the 2015 vintage Jaboulet’s Hermitage La Petite Chapelle bottling will bear a new name, La Maison Bleue, because, according to owner/winemaker Caroline Frey, “too many people were calling it a second wine of La Chapelle rather than treating it as its own wine, which it is.” This is a massive estate, with 102 hectares of vines, including just over 56 in Crozes-Hermitage, 21 in Hermitage and the rest spread across Côte-Rôtie, Condrieu, Saint-Joseph, Cornas and Saint-Péray. Last year the Freys sold their 11-hectare estate in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Domaine de Terre Ferme, so that they could focus as much time and energy on their work in the northern Rhône as possible, as co-winemaker Jacques Desnervois put it. These 2015s are a seriously great group of wines and, in fact, the Hermitage La Chapelle was probably the single most impressive wine that I tasted during my January/February 2017 tour of the region. It’s definitely the best La Chapelle that I’ve had since the now-legendary trio of 1989, 1990 and 1991.

According to Caroline Frey and Jacques Desnervois, the energy that marks so many 2014 red wines came about because following veraison, the weather was warm but not so hot that acidity could drop. Just as important was the fact that “the sun didn’t really come out much” and sugar levels didn’t accelerate as they might under sunny, hot conditions. As such, the vineyards didn’t absorb much in the way of daytime heat and the nights were consistently cool as well. The resulting wines should show well young, but I suspect they will also evolve gracefully thanks to their energy and balance. The 2015 white wines are, predictably, a huge success and destined to be cellar treasures for those with storage space and patience.

The wines made by owner-winemaker Caroline Frey and her right-hand man Jacques Desnervois are distinctly more polished and approachable than those made by the Jaboulet family up until the domain was sold in 2006. They are also far more consistent in quality and more approachable than they were under the old regime. Yields are now often frighteningly low, even before sorting, with many of the wines being made from crops as small as 10 hl/ha. New oak is kept to a minimum, never exceeding 20%, which Frey says is “my personal limit before the wine's intrinsic personality becomes obscured, even if you're working with the very best tonneliers."

The wines made by owner-winemaker Caroline Frey and her right-hand man Jacques Desnervois are distinctly more polished and approachable than those made by the Jaboulet family up until the domain was sold in 2006. They are also far more consistent in quality and more approachable than they were under the old regime. Yields are now often frighteningly low, even before sorting, with many of the wines being made from crops as small as 10 hl/ha. New oak is kept to a minimum, never exceeding 20%, which Frey says is “my personal limit before the wine's intrinsic personality becomes obscured, even if you're working with the very best tonneliers."

Caroline Frey and winemaker Jacques Desnervois told me that they consider the 2013 red wines akin to 2007 in the northern Rhône, "with similar freshness and fruit expression but more elegance to the tannins." The healthy acid levels will ensure positive aging, Caroline predicts, but the wines don't have the concentration for really long-term cellaring. Frey and Desnervois told me that they like the 2012s "for their site expression, where it's clear during tasting that you've moved from one appellation to another." They also believe that the wines will go through "only a short closed-up period , which means that they can be drunk at almost all stages of their evolution," unlike, say, the 2010s and 2009s, most of which are in a cranky state right now. Frey told me that the major focus here now is on refining the tannins of the red wines as much as possible while maintaining what she called "the integrity of structure" that marks wines of the region. The trick, she said, is to polish the wines but not to the point where they lose personality or, worse, "don't speak of their origin." A relatively low 15% to 20% new oak is used across the board here, by the way.

Caroline Frey and winemaker Jacques Desnervois told me that they consider the 2013 red wines akin to 2007 in the northern Rhône, "with similar freshness and fruit expression but more elegance to the tannins." The healthy acid levels will ensure positive aging, Caroline predicts, but the wines don't have the concentration for really long-term cellaring. Frey and Desnervois told me that they like the 2012s "for their site expression, where it's clear during tasting that you've moved from one appellation to another." They also believe that the wines will go through "only a short closed-up period , which means that they can be drunk at almost all stages of their evolution," unlike, say, the 2010s and 2009s, most of which are in a cranky state right now. Frey told me that the major focus here now is on refining the tannins of the red wines as much as possible while maintaining what she called "the integrity of structure" that marks wines of the region. The trick, she said, is to polish the wines but not to the point where they lose personality or, worse, "don't speak of their origin." A relatively low 15% to 20% new oak is used across the board here, by the way.

Owner/winemaker Caroline Frey described 2012 as "2010 but on a smaller scale, with less pronounced tannins, which will make the wines accessible much earlier."She added that 2011 is similar in many ways to 2006, which she said has turned out especially well for the white wines, and she believes that the reds, like their 2006 siblings, "can age better than people think but will be on point at about seven to ten years old, except for the most serious wines."The '11s won't die a quick death, she feels, "but it will probably be safe to drink them young, when the fruit is being emphasized."The Jaboulet wines show a distinctly more polished character since the Frey family bought the winery in 2006, and it must be noted that Caroline, the 30-something daughter of Jean-Jacques Frey, is hardly acting as a figurehead here.She received the diploma of oenologue at the viticultural university in Reims (one of only five colleges in France that confer this advanced degree) and makes her home for most of the year across the Rhone, near Tournon, where she is raising her family. Working alongside co-winemaker Jacques Desnervois, Frey has brought a standard of consistent high quality back to this venerable producer, which is something that had been missing for many years.

Owner/winemaker Caroline Frey described 2012 as "2010 but on a smaller scale, with less pronounced tannins, which will make the wines accessible much earlier."She added that 2011 is similar in many ways to 2006, which she said has turned out especially well for the white wines, and she believes that the reds, like their 2006 siblings, "can age better than people think but will be on point at about seven to ten years old, except for the most serious wines."The '11s won't die a quick death, she feels, "but it will probably be safe to drink them young, when the fruit is being emphasized."The Jaboulet wines show a distinctly more polished character since the Frey family bought the winery in 2006, and it must be noted that Caroline, the 30-something daughter of Jean-Jacques Frey, is hardly acting as a figurehead here.She received the diploma of oenologue at the viticultural university in Reims (one of only five colleges in France that confer this advanced degree) and makes her home for most of the year across the Rhone, near Tournon, where she is raising her family. Working alongside co-winemaker Jacques Desnervois, Frey has brought a standard of consistent high quality back to this venerable producer, which is something that had been missing for many years.

Winemaker Jacques Desvernois told me that 2011 got off to an auspicious start thanks to heavy winter snows that replenished the groundwater (a serious concern in the Rhone in recent years), followed by "summer-like" weather in March that pushed budbreak ten days ahead of normal.It was also quite dry but the healthy water levels helped to compensate and as temperatures stayed high the vines were a full 15 days ahead of schedule by the first of June.Conditions held nicely untilthe completely out-of-whack July, "which seemed like March or April," with cold and damp weather "that applied the brakes to maturity."Temperatures crept back up in August but not dramatically, and the season was still over a week ahead of schedule, allowing harvesting to start on September 6 in Crozes and winding up on the 27th at Cornas.Desnervois observed that "the diurnal shifts in 2010 were remarkable up and down the Rhone," pointing out that such conditions allowed the harvest to extend until the very end of October "without having to deal with the drought and heat issues of 2009."The "homogeneous" level of quality across the region is unprecedented, in Jacques' opinion, "which is the true mark of great vintage, where wines at every level are often better than anything before them."

Winemaker Jacques Desvernois told me that 2011 got off to an auspicious start thanks to heavy winter snows that replenished the groundwater (a serious concern in the Rhone in recent years), followed by "summer-like" weather in March that pushed budbreak ten days ahead of normal.It was also quite dry but the healthy water levels helped to compensate and as temperatures stayed high the vines were a full 15 days ahead of schedule by the first of June.Conditions held nicely untilthe completely out-of-whack July, "which seemed like March or April," with cold and damp weather "that applied the brakes to maturity."Temperatures crept back up in August but not dramatically, and the season was still over a week ahead of schedule, allowing harvesting to start on September 6 in Crozes and winding up on the 27th at Cornas.Desnervois observed that "the diurnal shifts in 2010 were remarkable up and down the Rhone," pointing out that such conditions allowed the harvest to extend until the very end of October "without having to deal with the drought and heat issues of 2009."The "homogeneous" level of quality across the region is unprecedented, in Jacques' opinion, "which is the true mark of great vintage, where wines at every level are often better than anything before them."

The Frey family's financial commitment to place Jaboulet at the top of the northern Rhone heap is plainly evident from a quick stroll through the new winery they have constructed by the old one in Point de l'Isere.They are also building a micro-winery in Tain, at the foot of the Hermitage hill, where they will make all of their estate-grown "icon" wines, such as La Chapelle, Thalabert, Roure and so forth.Their seriousness of purpose is also evident in the quality improvement of the wines over the last few vintages, which co-winemaker Jacques Desvernois told me "was the only directive [owner and co-winemaker] Caroline Frey set down.If it isn't excellent, it gets sold or blended away, end of story."This means that production of the top Jaboulet wines, which are reviewed here, has been slashed dramatically, as happened in the difficult 2008 vintage when some wines, like La Chapelle, were not made at all.

The Frey family's financial commitment to place Jaboulet at the top of the northern Rhone heap is plainly evident from a quick stroll through the new winery they have constructed by the old one in Point de l'Isere. They are also building a micro-winery in Tain, at the foot of the Hermitage hill, where they will make all of their estate-grown "icon" wines, such as La Chapelle, Thalabert, Roure and so forth. Their seriousness of purpose is also evident in the quality improvement of the wines over the last few vintages, which co-winemaker Jacques Desvernois told me "was the only directive [owner and co-winemaker] Caroline Frey set down. If it isn't excellent, it gets sold or blended away, end of story." This means that production of the top Jaboulet wines, which are reviewed here, has been slashed dramatically, as happened in the difficult 2008 vintage when some wines, like La Chapelle, were not made at all.

Work has commenced on a new cellar in Tain, at the base of the Hermitage hill, where Jaboulet will make their domain wines. (The bulk of the wines will continue to be made at their recently expanded and modernized facility south of town, near Pont de l'Isere.) Enologist Caroline Frey, whose family purchased Jaboulet in 2006, told me that only 15% new oak is now used across the board for all of Jaboulet's flagship wines (the ones reviewed here) and that she is committed to making "only the best wine possible from each vineyard, and if that means that a given vintage isn't up to a high standard then we simply won't make it." Two thousand eight was such a year and only two red wines were bottled: a Crozes-Hermitage and an Hermitage. As for 2009, Frey called it "a relief after 2008, first of all. It was a very warm and dry season, the complete opposite of '08. We were able to pick at our leisure and make multiple passes through the vines; for example, we were able to go through Meal seven times. The grapes were perfectly healthy, with very good ripe acidity, and the tannins are very harmonious but substantial enough for aging."

According to Caroline Frey, "2008 was a biblical vintage, but only the scary parts of the Bible. We got 6 months worth of rain, 232 millimeters (nearly 9 inches!), on the 3rd and 4th of September, and the topsoil was washing off the hillsides and the standing water in flat vineyards was like lakes." After the storm, she went on, the team went into the vineyards and dropped about 60% of the crop due to mildew. The ultimate yield realized from the Hermitage vines was a pitifully low 9 hectoliters per hectare, said Frey, and the acidity was very high. Conditions in low-lying vineyards were even more frightening. The decision was made that only one Crozes and one Hermitage (not La Chapelle) would be bottled. All of the rest of the company's syrah was either sold off to negociants or will be bottled under second labels. "We can't afford to have the reputation of our flagship wines jeopardized by bottling anything sub-standard," noted Frey. By the way, all of the red wines here see about 20% new oak, according to resident winemaker Jacques Desvernois. I should note that I only taste the top bottlings on my visits to this address.

The Frey family is making a serious effort to revive the quality and reputation of this domain's top bottlings, which were the focus of my November tasting with Caroline Frey and co-winemaker Jacques Desvernois. Massive investments continue to be made in the estate's vineyards and facilities, including the hiring of 15 full-time employees to work in the vines. Grape selection has become "extremely severe," as Ms. Frey put it, and production has been slashed to ensure "that we are making the most advantage of our vineyards' potential. " No chemical herbicides are used in any of the estate's vineyards and 13 hectares are now farmed with completely organic methods. Frey told me she finds that "many of the 2006s are strict right now and will need more time to come around than the 2007s, a year when we had to wait patiently until the end of September for full ripeness of the red grapes. Because of that the wines show very good complexity and the tannins are smoothed out. " The syrah harvest began on September 29 and continued until October 10, ending with the high-altitude Domaine de Saint-Pierre vineyard in Cornas. "We do not want over-mature fruit or to make over-mature wines," Frey said. "What we are looking for is greater finesse, more energy and focus. Elegance and balance have more value for us than extreme power. "

The Frey family is making a serious effort to revive the quality and reputation of this domain's top bottlings, which were the focus of my November tasting with Caroline Frey and co-winemaker Jacques Desvernois. Massive investments continue to be made in the estate's vineyards and facilities, including the hiring of 15 full-time employees to work in the vines. Grape selection has become "extremely severe," as Ms. Frey put it, and production has been slashed to ensure "that we are making the most advantage of our vineyards' potential. " No chemical herbicides are used in any of the estate's vineyards and 13 hectares are now farmed with completely organic methods. Frey told me she finds that "many of the 2006s are strict right now and will need more time to come around than the 2007s, a year when we had to wait patiently until the end of September for full ripeness of the red grapes. Because of that the wines show very good complexity and the tannins are smoothed out. " The syrah harvest began on September 29 and continued until October 10, ending with the high-altitude Domaine de Saint-Pierre vineyard in Cornas. "We do not want over-mature fruit or to make over-mature wines," Frey said. "What we are looking for is greater finesse, more energy and focus. Elegance and balance have more value for us than extreme power. "

The Frey family, owners of Chateau La Lagune and part-owners of Billecart-Salmon, are plowing serious capital into this venerable company, and they have started in the vineyards. Frederic Jaboulet told me that production has been slashed across the board, and that the directive of the Freys is to produce "the best possible wines, even if it means taking production of individual wines down to a fraction of their historic levels." There's nothing I've seen in the Rhone Valley that compares to Jaboulet's Vineum facility at Chateauneuf-sur-Isere, which is an enormous cavern carved as a quarry into a hillside abutting the Isere river, just east of Tain and the Rhone. The stone was used to build cathedrals across France, including those of Valence, Romans, Marseille and Strasbourg. During World War II the cavern was used by the occupying Germans as a repair garage for airplanes. Small it is not. We will soon find out if money can buy, or at least help to create, quality.

The Frey family, owners of Chateau La Lagune and part-owners of Billecart-Salmon, are plowing serious capital into this venerable company, and they have started in the vineyards. Frederic Jaboulet told me that production has been slashed across the board, and that the directive of the Freys is to produce "the best possible wines, even if it means taking production of individual wines down to a fraction of their historic levels." There's nothing I've seen in the Rhone Valley that compares to Jaboulet's Vineum facility at Chateauneuf-sur-Isere, which is an enormous cavern carved as a quarry into a hillside abutting the Isere river, just east of Tain and the Rhone. The stone was used to build cathedrals across France, including those of Valence, Romans, Marseille and Strasbourg. During World War II the cavern was used by the occupying Germans as a repair garage for airplanes. Small it is not. We will soon find out if money can buy, or at least help to create, quality.

Frederic Jaboulet again guided me through my visit to Jaboulet, but big changes are afoot here. At the beginning of 2006 controlling interest in this old family firm was sold to Jean-Jacques Frey, an entrepreneur who owns Chateau La Lagune and is also a part-owner of the Champagne house Billecart-Salmon. The most immediate changes have been the departure of Frederic's brother Laurent, who was the winemaker, and the appointment as general manager of Frederic Mairesse, who previously directed the Ogier Cave des Papes in Chateauneuf du Pape-as well as the hiring of Bordeaux-based consultant Denis Dubourdieu. It will be interesting to follow developments here as this is historically one of the great names of the Rhone Valley, with significant holdings in all the northern appellations. The new owner appears fully committed to bringing the Jaboulet name back to prominence.

Frederic Jaboulet again guided me through my visit to Jaboulet, but big changes are afoot here. At the beginning of 2006 controlling interest in this old family firm was sold to Jean-Jacques Frey, an entrepreneur who owns Chateau La Lagune and is also a part-owner of the Champagne house Billecart-Salmon. The most immediate changes have been the departure of Frederic's brother Laurent, who was the winemaker, and the appointment as general manager of Frederic Mairesse, who previously directed the Ogier Cave des Papes in Chateauneuf du Pape-as well as the hiring of Bordeaux-based consultant Denis Dubourdieu. It will be interesting to follow developments here as this is historically one of the great names of the Rhone Valley, with significant holdings in all the northern appellations. The new owner appears fully committed to bringing the Jaboulet name back to prominence.

Rumors were swirling about the impending sale of this venerable house, which has been owned by the Jaboulet family since 1834.France's inheritance laws, combined with the multitude of Jaboulets, have conspired to make a sale unavoidable.Frederic and Laurent Jaboulet, with whom I tasted, were cagey about the prospective buyer, but it is confirmed to be Jean-Jacques Frey, a part-owner of Billecart-Salmon and owner of Chateau La Lagune.The Jaboulet 2004s are highly successful and I am impressed by the leap in quality that has occurred here since the arrival of Laurent as head winemaker with the 2001 vintage.Educated and trained in Burgundy, Laurent's last job before returning home was at Domaine Ramonet.His style favors richness of fruit and elegance over sheer power, and the 2004 vintage provided excellent conditions to showcase this approach.I found many of the Jaboulet 2003 reds especially marked by the vintage's extreme heat.

Rumors were swirling about the impending sale of this venerable house, which has been owned by the Jaboulet family since 1834.France's inheritance laws, combined with the multitude of Jaboulets, have conspired to make a sale unavoidable.Frederic and Laurent Jaboulet, with whom I tasted, were cagey about the prospective buyer, but it is confirmed to be Jean-Jacques Frey, a part-owner of Billecart-Salmon and owner of Chateau La Lagune.The Jaboulet 2004s are highly successful and I am impressed by the leap in quality that has occurred here since the arrival of Laurent as head winemaker with the 2001 vintage.Educated and trained in Burgundy, Laurent's last job before returning home was at Domaine Ramonet.His style favors richness of fruit and elegance over sheer power, and the 2004 vintage provided excellent conditions to showcase this approach.I found many of the Jaboulet 2003 reds especially marked by the vintage's extreme heat.

With the excitable Jacques Jaboulet bouncing off the walls in expressing his enthusiasm for the young 2003s-some of which he compared to this house's '61s-it was hard to come away with coherent tasting notes and accurate technical information on these wines. At the top levels, though, the Jaboulet 2003 collection is impressive, and not just the reds. But the 2003 whites are probably best suited for drinking on the young side, notes Frederic Jaboulet. (Frederick Wildman & Sons, New York, NY). Also tasted: 2002 Cornas Les Grandes Terrasses, 2002 Cote-Rotie Les Jumelles.

With the excitable Jacques Jaboulet bouncing off the walls in expressing his enthusiasm for the young 2003s-some of which he compared to this house's '61s-it was hard to come away with coherent tasting notes and accurate technical information on these wines. At the top levels, though, the Jaboulet 2003 collection is impressive, and not just the reds. But the 2003 whites are probably best suited for drinking on the young side, notes Frederic Jaboulet. (Frederick Wildman & Sons, New York, NY). Also tasted: 2002 Cornas Les Grandes Terrasses, 2002 Cote-Rotie Les Jumelles.

Also recommended: 2001 Cornas Les Grandes Terrasses.

This producer's lesser bottlings from 2000 and 2001x000D were underwhelming at my tasting in November. Too many of the house's reds seem made for uncritical consumption at thex000D dinner table; I found myself looking for more concentration, depth of flavorx000D and personality. The Jaboulets preferx000D the 2001 vintage in the North, as crop levels were lower than those of thex000D previous year. The young 2001s boastx000D more color and material, with acidity levels similar to those of 2000. Many of the 2001s accordingly got a somewhatx000D longer cuvaison. (Frederick Wildmanx000D & Sons, New York, NY) Also recommended: 2001 Crozes-Hermitage Les Jalets, 2000 Cote-Rotie Les Jumelles. Other wines tasted: 2001 Crozes-Hermitage Lax000D Mule Blanche, 2001 Crozes-Hermitage Raymond Roure Blanc, 2001 Saint-Joseph Lex000D Grand Pompee Blanc, 2001 Condrieu Les Cassines, 2000 Crozes-Hermitage Les Jalets,x000D 2000 Saint-Joseph Le Grand Pompee*.

This producer's lesser bottlings from 2000 and 2001x000D were underwhelming at my tasting in November. Too many of the house's reds seem made for uncritical consumption at thex000D dinner table; I found myself looking for more concentration, depth of flavorx000D and personality. The Jaboulets preferx000D the 2001 vintage in the North, as crop levels were lower than those of thex000D previous year. The young 2001s boastx000D more color and material, with acidity levels similar to those of 2000. Many of the 2001s accordingly got a somewhatx000D longer cuvaison. (Frederick Wildmanx000D & Sons, New York, NY) Also recommended: 2001 Crozes-Hermitage Les Jalets, 2000 Cote-Rotie Les Jumelles. Other wines tasted: 2001 Crozes-Hermitage Lax000D Mule Blanche, 2001 Crozes-Hermitage Raymond Roure Blanc, 2001 Saint-Joseph Lex000D Grand Pompee Blanc, 2001 Condrieu Les Cassines, 2000 Crozes-Hermitage Les Jalets,x000D 2000 Saint-Joseph Le Grand Pompee*.

Jacques Jaboulet is high on the 2000 whites for their combination of high grape sugars (most of the wines approach 14%) and acidity levels, and on the 2001 as well. With a few exceptions, the 2000 reds do not have the stuffing and backbone of the '99s, and they will be bottled much earlier: mostly in February of 2002, compared to September of 2001 for the '99s.

Jacques Jaboulet is high on the 2000 whites for their combination of high grape sugars (most of the wines approach 14%) and acidity levels, and on the 2001 as well. With a few exceptions, the 2000 reds do not have the stuffing and backbone of the '99s, and they will be bottled much earlier: mostly in February of 2002, compared to September of 2001 for the '99s.

I got the strong impression from enologist Laurent Jaboulet that the Jaboulets consider 1999 their strongest vintage for red wines since 1990. In comparison, the '98s featured difficult vinifications, said Laurent, due to problems with rot and capricious alcoholic and malolactic fermentations. The '98 are concentrated, even stylish, but a few wines were a bit less primary than I would have expected. Laurent stressed that the '99 reds he showed me were representative samples, "about 90% assembled."

I got the strong impression from enologist Laurent Jaboulet that the Jaboulets consider 1999 their strongest vintage for red wines since 1990. In comparison, the '98s featured difficult vinifications, said Laurent, due to problems with rot and capricious alcoholic and malolactic fermentations. The '98 are concentrated, even stylish, but a few wines were a bit less primary than I would have expected. Laurent stressed that the '99 reds he showed me were representative samples, "about 90% assembled."

What with winemaker Jacques Jaboulet's unbridled enthusiasm for his recent vintages, and with the alarming number of Jaboulets entering and exiting the tasting room (this is a family operation with no shortage of family), sampling new wines at this address can be an adventure. But both 1998 and 1997 brought a slew of excellent wines. Jacques Jaboulet believes that '98 combines the fat of '95 with the acidity of '96; in fact, he describes the acids in '98 as higher than average. Tasted alongside the '97s, the '98s are almost as rich and distinctly brighter.

What with winemaker Jacques Jaboulet's unbridled enthusiasm for his recent vintages, and with the alarming number of Jaboulets entering and exiting the tasting room (this is a family operation with no shortage of family), sampling new wines at this address can be an adventure. But both 1998 and 1997 brought a slew of excellent wines. Jacques Jaboulet believes that '98 combines the fat of '95 with the acidity of '96; in fact, he describes the acids in '98 as higher than average. Tasted alongside the '97s, the '98s are almost as rich and distinctly brighter.

The Jaboulet '97s showed impressively on my recent visit; the top reds appear to be extraordinarily opulent wines that should offer considerable early appeal but age well on their sheer stuffing. Under the direction of winemaker Jacques Jaboulet, the late Gerard brother, total skin contact was increased to a solid month, and the temperature of fermentation was kept below 33 degrees C (vs. 38 degrees C the previous year). Having recently purchased a new press, the house is now destemming its fruit. I also felt the white wines beginning with the '96 vintage were better than ever before; for the first time, Jaboulet was able to do a cool fermentation in cuve.

This wine was tasted during collector Bruce Fingeret's birthday party, July 2010

This wine was tasted informally at the Rusty Staub Charity Dinner, held in April 2015 at the Bouley Test Kitchen in New York City.

This wine was tasted as a part of wine collector Bruce Fingeret's 50th Birthday Party, July 2008.

Maybe I don’t believe in Santa as I did when I was child, but I do believe in celebrating Christmas with fine wines and company like this.

It was an outstanding evening of fine food, fine wine and even finer friendship. Medlar delivered yet again, not just in terms of the impressive standard of cooking that complemented these bottles with aplomb, but particularly the sommelier team that handled all these bottles with care, skill and all-important smiles.