13.5% abv... pop and pour... this took several hours to open up, shedding some of its youthful tartness and showing a savory blackberry minerality, accented by coffee, anise and goudron notes. Attractive nose with hints of iodine and olive. There is a fair amount of tertiary development that makes for an interesting flavor profile. The tannins manifest an inner sweetness with extensive exposure to air (perhaps an influence of the older vines ?). There is quite a bit of fine-grained sediment at the end of the bottle.
Not the last word in complexity but nice. There are echoes of the Jaboulet style found in the Hermitage La Chapelle cuvee...
A very tasty wine.... too good to have any left over for day two comparison. :)
Bravo to Jacques Desvernois, oenologist, and Caroline Frey, owner at Paul Jaboulet Aínê since 2006.
Here is a bit of background on this cru...
"...The Thalabert vineyard sits on the rocky plain of Les Chassis on the left bank of the Rhone River, sandwiched between Tain l’Hermitage to the north and Pont de l’Isere to the south. In a large appellation such as Crozes, the quality of terroir is heavily varied, with preferred sites found on the stone-heavy, less clay influenced sections of Les Chassis, close to the riverbed. This area is where many of the appellations top producers grow their vines, including the famed Alain Graillot. In his book ‘The Wines of the Northern Rhone’ Jonathan Livingston Learmonth describes the soil as “a gravel couch (20-30 meters of gravelly stones), with around half a meter of alluvial stones of Alpine origin on the surface.” It is this so-called “French drain” that sets Thalabert apart as the benchmark terroir in the southern Crozes-Hermitage...
Not the last word in complexity but nice. There are echoes of the Jaboulet style found in the Hermitage La Chapelle cuvee...
A very tasty wine.... too good to have any left over for day two comparison. :)
Bravo to Jacques Desvernois, oenologist, and Caroline Frey, owner at Paul Jaboulet Aínê since 2006.
Here is a bit of background on this cru...
"...The Thalabert vineyard sits on the rocky plain of Les Chassis on the left bank of the Rhone River, sandwiched between Tain l’Hermitage to the north and Pont de l’Isere to the south. In a large appellation such as Crozes, the quality of terroir is heavily varied, with preferred sites found on the stone-heavy, less clay influenced sections of Les Chassis, close to the riverbed. This area is where many of the appellations top producers grow their vines, including the famed Alain Graillot. In his book ‘The Wines of the Northern Rhone’ Jonathan Livingston Learmonth describes the soil as “a gravel couch (20-30 meters of gravelly stones), with around half a meter of alluvial stones of Alpine origin on the surface.” It is this so-called “French drain” that sets Thalabert apart as the benchmark terroir in the southern Crozes-Hermitage...
- The first ever vineyard owned by Paul Jaboulet – purchased in 1834. Also holds the distinction as the oldest vineyard of the appellation. Considered the benchmark for Crozes-Hermitages with the ability to age for decades.
- 60-80 year old vines
- Biodynamically farmed
- Vines grown on pebbly terraces that are glacial in origin, with the bedrock close to the topsoil. These small, round pebbles store heat during the day and release it at night, providing optimum and regular maturity.
- Very low yields of 25 hl/ha
- Aged in French oak, 20% new
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