Domaine Paul Jaboulet Aine Domaine de Thalabert Crozes-Hermitage 2020

One of the Northern Rhone’s best for two centuries – Domaine Paul Jaboulet is an iconic house, in the midst of an exciting new chapter of their stellar history. Domaine de Thalabert is a historic Crozes-Hermitage property – and one that often outshone the likes of other offerings from Cornas, St. Joseph, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, and other heavy hitters of the Rhone valley as far back as the late 1800s. The Jaboulet team has worked with this fruit for even longer, and it is no exaggeration to state that this is among the very best vineyards – not just in Crozes-Hermitage, but in the entire Northern Rhone!

Paul Jaboulet is an estate that needs no introduction – one of the very best Northern Rhone estates of all time, known for crafting elegant, age-worthy wines that are among the greatest in the world. It wasn’t always sunshine and good times, however. The Jaboulet holdings were purchased in 2006 after decades of family squabbles had decreased the quality of the wines from around the 1980s onward (it happens with most of the old, great estates...). In 2006, the holdings and winery were purchased by the Frey Family. Minority owners of Champagne’s Billecart-Salmon and outright holders of Bordeaux’s Château La Lagune – The Freys picked up the pieces, converted to organic and biodynamic farming, lowered yields, and renewed focus on re-establishing the best syrah producer in the world.

As with most of the top Jaboulet wines, you’re going to need to sit down when you take that first whiff – the freshly crushed, ripe, picked-at-peak-perfection blackberries and blueberries, the lush and plush, creamy baked tart notes, smoky bacon, crushed granite minerality, that sweet violet and lilac perfume, heady incense, and savory spice...this is a masterclass on Crozes-Hermitage syrah – aromatic, open, spiced, and packed with berries and a sort of liquid velvet finish.

The Thalabert parcel is a 45-hectare vineyard set on limestone soils, on lower terraces of Crozes-Hermitage. At an average age of 40-60 years old – this site produces classic expressions of the region, with a pedigree that goes back over the centuries. This 2020 vintage is a simply spectacular value at our incredible under $30 price – and a syrah for syrah lovers that is sure to impress anytime over the next 15+ years!

PAIRING IDEAS: I paired this with a succulent and juicy roast pork loin. I dry-brined the pork first overnight, then seasoned simply with salt and pepper. I roasted it whole atop a bed of herbs and aromatics in a 450 oven until an internal temp of 130 F. Rest for 15 minutes, slice, and serve with some seasonal vegetables and a chicory salad. Molto Bene!