Hermitage, La Chapelle, Domaine Paul Jaboulet Aîné 2019 (organic)

The old and venerable family firm of Jaboulet was founded by Antoine Jaboulet in 1834. For six generations it had passed down the male line until being sold in 2006 to Compagnie Financier Frey, who also own Château La Lagune in Bordeaux, Château de Corton-André in Burgundy and hold a large stake in Champagne Billecart-Salmon.

Since taking over Caroline Frey, who is an accomplished winemaker, has improved things greatly. Full organic accreditation was gained in 2016 and many of the vineyards are now worked biodynamically. All work is done by hand in the vineyards, with horses, winches and pickaxes being used even on the steepest of slopes. They make a range of red and white wines in the Northern Rhône from their 110 ha of vineyards, and have recently added 11 ha of Châteauneuf-du-Pape vineyards in the South. On the hill of Hermitage they have 21 ha, broken down into 10 small plots, making them the second largest vineyard holder on the prestigious hill. Jaboulet’s most celebrated wine, Hermitage La Chapelle, is a blend of some or all of these different plots. Up until the early 1990s it was lauded in the same terms as a Bordeaux first growth, since the new regime was installed dramatic improvements have been seen and the wines have seen a remarkable turnaround. Other notable vineyard holdings include Domaine de Thalabert in Crozes-Hermitage – the first vineyards bought by founding Jaboulet, Antoine; and Domaine de Saint-Pierre in Cornas.