Rhone

Region: France, Rhone

Grape variety: Syrah & Grenache

Background: The Jaboulet family started working the land in the Rhone region in 1834. The generations continued to succeed one another until Maison Paul Jaboulet Aine was acquired by the owners of Chateau La Lagune in Bordeaux, the Frey family, in 2006. Although lauded for wines like Crozes Hermitage Domaine de Thalabert and the famous Hermitage La Chapelle, winemaker Caroline Frey has been receiving excellent reviews for her wines from the Southern Rhone region. From a robust Vacqueyras, to Chateauneuf du Pape Les Cedres and the Secret de Famille Cotes de Rhone wines, Paul Jaboulet Aine offers fantastic quality from these much loved regions. This is the most famous appellation of the southern Rhône and also one of the best-known in France and abroad.

Tasting notes: Deep ruby red colour with very thick legs. The bouquet offers complex and intense notes of macerated red berries, blended with sweet spices and a final hint of garrigue (Mediterranean vegetation). Powerful and warm attack in the mouth, with a spicy and hot finish.

Region: France, Rhone

Grape variety: Marsanne (50%) & Roussanne (50%)

Tasting notes: This wine offers lots of buttered citrus, lychee, nut and white flowers. It is medium-bodied, fresh and lively, if not racy on the palate.

Region: France, Rhone

Grape variety: Syrah

Region: France, Rhone

Grape variety: Syrah

Tasting notes: This wine is very richly balanced. Its length gives expression the ripe apricots, honey and spice notes.

Region: France, Rhone

Grape variety: Syrah

Tasting notes: There are notes of dark berries, chocolate, and a hint of fresh black olive on the finish. Long and approachable.

Region: France, Rhone

Grape variety: Syrah

Tasting notes: Bright and fragrant, violets and cherry blossom lift. Very pretty nose. Hints of leather, black berry, bruleed spice, marzipan but also a real core of dark fruit. Still tight and structured with a real presence of power and focus. Touch angular still, very bright acidity and a medium long tart red fruited finish.

Region: France, Rhone

Grape variety: Grenache (80%), Syrah (10%) & Mourvedre (10%)

Tasting notes: The resulting wine has an aromatic nose with red fruits developing into notes of macerated fruits. Straightforward attack on the palate, with strong tannins, finishing with great depth and strength.

‘Les Traverses’ are the dry stone walls which were built to support and protect the slopes in Ventoux from the significant erosion caused by the strong Mistral winds. 40+ year old vines on average From the foothills of the Mont Ventoux – clay and limestone soils with south/southwest exposure 80% Grenache, 20% Syrah Aged in 20% large older barrel and 80% in stainless tanks Blood orange, raspberry, fresh pepper and wild herbs emerge from this delicious Ventoux Rouge. Incredibly sappy and persistent with laser focus and precision. When they are well-made by a gifted winemaker, reds from Ventoux are usually excellent value. This one really is, boasting fresh aromas of red fruit, spices and cedar. Palate is fruity and lively with fine tannins in the background. Nothing over complicated, this bottle is a great pick for your everyday drink!

Region: France, Rhone

Grape variety: Syrah

Tasting notes: From the eastern part of the hill where the soil is deeper. It has wonderful depth of soft fruit, plummy and rich, blackberries and spice with real density and excellent ripe tannins to give structure.

Region: France, Rhone

Grape variety: Grenache

Tasting notes: This wine has the Southern Rhône's classically warm, ripe feel with red fruits blended with spices. Well-structured on the palate with rounded tannins and a final spicy note.

Region: France, Rhone

Grape variety: Viognier

Tasting notes: Its nose is very expressive with aromas of white fruits, peach, accompanied by notes of flowers, a typical Viognier complexity. On the palate, the attack is lively and fat, the palate unctuous and gourmet revealing notes of apricots and exotic fruits.

Region: France, Rhone

Grape variety: Grenache Blanc

Tasting notes: It is made of a subtle blend of various local grapes providing concentrated flavours of white fruit and flowers, while remaining crisp and fresh. A short stay in oak barrels brings in a toasted hint for a greater personality.

Background: Along the Petite Pierrelle street, not far from the stream of Torras and the road where the blackbirds sing, lies the pretty Maison Bleue. Leaning against the Hermitage Hill, one of the most beautiful vineyards in the world, this small stone house with blue shutters was once a real haven of peace for their winegrowers: a place to work, rest and share located in the heart of a legendary terroir. Today, this house of winegrowers has regained a new youth. Winegrowers and horses take shelter from time to time. The Maison Bleue still serves as a shelter for their grapes to dry the straw wine when they produce it. This year, they will use its space to dry their plants for biodynamic preparations. A new life in the respect of traditions.

Critical Acclaim

James Suckling – 95 Points: This is a juicy and flavourful young wine with dusty and polished tannins. Lots of wild fruit and dark-berry and volcanic and salt undertones. Flavourful finish.

Jeb Dunnuck – 93 Points: The 2016 Hermitage La Maison Bleue (2,000 cases) comes from vines on the eastern side of the appellation and more sedimentary and limestone soils. This deep ruby/purple-coloured beauty gives up loads of black raspberry, toasted spiced, incense, and crushed rock aromatics. This flows to a ripe, sexy, and medium to full-bodied Hermitage that has moderate tannins, a layered, beautifully pure, elegant, even charming texture, and a great finish. It's already approachable yet will have 10-15 years of prime drinking.

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate – 93 Points: The charming, already drinkable 2016 Hermitage La Maison Bleue comes from the eastern portion of the appellation. Raspberries and cherries lead the way in this full-bodied, velvety, lush offering, picking up subtle hints of baking spices on the long, silky finish.

Region: France, Rhone

Grape variety: Grenache Blanc & Clairette

Winemaking process: Gentle pneumatic pressing. Cold settling. Alcoholic fermentation in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats at a low temperature (16°-18°C). 6 months ageing on the fine lees in concrete tanks.

Tasting notes: Pale yellow hue with green tints. Aromas of exotic fruits, white flowers and citrus. Very complex encompassing notes of peach and apricot. This cuvee has a very good length and good freshness. 

Region: France, Rhone

Grape variety: Grenache & Syrah

Winemaking process: Total destemming. 48-hour cold pre-fermentation maceration. Alcoholic fermentation at 26°C. Gentle extraction through pumping over and punching down the cap operations. 3 weeks maceration. 12 months ageing in concrete tanks.

Tasting notes: Bright deep ruby hue. Fruity and spiced bouquet with notes of blackcurrant and plums. Initially fresh and full, supple and fruity with dominant notes of small black fruit and liquorice. A long and pleasant finish.

Award: Wine Spectator 88 points

Region: Crozes-Hermitage, Rhone, France

Grape Variety: Shiraz/Syrah

Tasting Notes: Big, rich, dark-fruited and almost tarry, but this full-bodied wine is pleasantly velvety and marked by savoury notes of scorched wood and black olive tapenade that linger on the finish.

Food Pairing: This wine pairs well with grilled meats, barbeque, grilled vegetables and spicey dishes.

Region: Rhone, Crozes-Hermitage, France

Grape Variety: Syrah/Shiraz

Tasting Notes: This wine has cassis and blueberry perfume mixes with black pepper and violets on the nose. The palate is vibrant and fresh, with sweet, wild berry fruit balanced by fine, velvety tannins.

Food Pairing: Wine experts believe this wine would pair well with grilled foods such as meat, vegetables and barbeque as well as spicey dishes.

Region: Rhone Valley, France

Grape Variety: Shiraz/Syrah

Tasting Notes: La Chapelle is full-bodied like Pauillac with deep inky colour. It is extremeley aromatic with raspberry, dark berry and smoke aromas, with herbal chracteristics such as rosemary, developing a wonderful bouquet of spices, cedar wood and berries. The body is velvety supported by immense ripe and round tannin. The finish is always fresh and beautifully balanced.

Food Pairing: Jaboulet Hermitage is best served with all types of classic meat dishes such as veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, game, roast chicken or any roasted, braised and grilled dishes.

Region: Rhone Valley, France

Grape Variety: Shiraz/Syrah

Tasting Notes: The palate is dense with layers of blackerries, damsons, black cherries, liqourice, tar and all spice - a nod to the 15% new oak used in maturation, which brings complexity while leaving the emphasis on the purity of the fruit. Tannins are mouthcoating but gloriously fine and silky, while aromas of incense, violets, graphite and a dash of acidity bring a fragrant and refreshing lift. For all its richness and ripe fruit flavours, this is crisper and more poised than recent vintages. Elegant and beautifully balanced with a lingering finish.

Food Pairing: This wine would pair well with a rich cut of pork, slow-cooked shoulder or braised belly-pork.