2010 Domaine Paul Jaboulet Anie, Crozes-Hermintage Rouge “Domaine de Thalabert” Northern Rhone, France.
After a fabulous series of successful vintages for this Domaine de Thalabert Crozes, from 2015 to 2021, Caroline Frey’s Domaine Jaboulet has become must have for Northern Rhône lovers, and it was great to see one of her first efforts, this nicely aged 2010 version drinking so well. Still possessing a dark purple/crimson hue in the glass, this 2010 Domaine Paul Jaboulet Anie, Crozes-Hermintage Rouge “Domaine de Thalabert” shows off a medium/full bodied palate of matured dark fruits, with evolved early elements and hints of bay leaf, fig, wild mushroom beginning to compete with crushed blackberry, wilted violet, blueberry, black currant, damson plum and reduced cherry fruits, as well as olive tapenade, cedar, brambly pepper and dried herbs, anise and tar. This wine has an aged subtlety at this stage, it will not suddenly be a La Chapelle and or a blockbuster, but that doesn’t mean you’ll be disappointed either, it is just that it is comfortable with its age and takes you down an elegant and transparent terroir driven route. I was thrilled with the grace of texture, depth of fruit, delicate wood, the retained acidity and the nice mineral tones that clearly shine here in this vintage of Northern Rhône wines, especially in value packed areas like Cornas and Crozes-Hermitage, making nice treats for budget collectors. As noted previously, the Thalabert parcel, a special terroir, is located in Croze’s pebble-strewn granite soiled lieu-dit of Les Chassis, which has owned by Jaboulet since its founding back in 1834 and is regarded as maybe the greatest set of vines in the Crores-Hermitage AOC, all organic and biodynamic. Frey uses partial whole bunches and well judged use of new wood, really putting the focus on the vintage and trying for authenticity, rather than power or flamboyance.
This famous Thalabert parcel, as I’ve mentioned before in prior reviews, is located in Croze’s pebble-strewn granite soiled lieu-dit of Les Chassis, which has been owned by Jaboulet since its founding back in 1834 and is regarded as maybe the greatest set of vines in the Crores-Hermitage AOC, all organic and biodynamic. The Domaine Paul Jaboulet Aine, now owned by the Frey family, led by the talented Caroline Frey, has been an iconic estate in the Northern Rhone and one of the big three in the region along with Guigal and Chapoutier, most known for their fabled La Chapelle vineyard in Hermitage, Syrah’s most holy site! There’s been wines made here since pre-Roman times, but it was Antoine Jaboulet’s plantings in 1834 and focus on quality which really started to establish the area as one of the major wine producing appellations of the world, after he past the land was passed on to his two sons Henri and Paul, who’s name became company label. The Frey family, who bought the faded glory Jaboulet in 2006, have become big time players in premium French wine production having serious quality properties in Champagne, Burgundy and Bordeaux, which includes Chateau La Lagune in Haut-Medoc and Château de Corton André in the Cote de Beaune. Caroline, who studied in Bordeaux, is one of France’s established stars now and has her hand in many projects, with even a biodynamic high elevation vineyard in Switzerland. The Jaboulet lineup is full of quality efforts, from humble Côtes du Rhône and Village wines to a set of pedigreed Hermitage Rouge bottlings, and I highly recommend exploring all that you can find or afford, with this Domaine Paul Jaboulet Anie, Crozes-Hermintage Rouge “Domaine de Thalabert” being one of my personal favorites, it is a wine that I really enjoy both fresh and youthful and with a bit of age, like I discovered here. When young I would suggest decanting and pairing it with robust cuisine, with meaty dishes like lamb and grilled steak being lovely with it, while mature wines go well with a bit less heavy choices and or a selection of hard cheeses.
($45+ Est.) 93 Points, grapelive