Paul Jaboulet Aine

From renowned Rhône producer Paul Jabolet Ainé, this wine is made by Caroline Frey, whose Bordeaux based family took over the running of the estate in 2006. Made predominantly from Grenache Blanc, this is vibrant and punchy, with notes of ripe pears and white peaches. The palate mirrors these aromas with lovely, rich fruit flavours. Great with roast pork dishes. Buy this if...you love bright, intensely fruity whites.

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.

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: 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.

Region: France, Rhone

Grape variety: Syrah

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: Marsanne & Roussanne

Background: The little chapel of Saint-Christophe is situated at the top of the hillside. It was built in 1235 by the knight Gaspard de Stérimberg after he gained the permission of the ‘White Queen of Castille’ to establish his hermitage on this hill after being injured during the Albigensian crusade of 1224.

Tasting notes: It exhibits classic notes of white currants, citrus and sappy, freshly cut flowers to go with a medium-bodied, crisp, focused and nicely concentrated palate feel. Made in a more fresh style than most Hermitage Blancs, with bright acidity and clean, pure aromas and flavours, it will be interesting to see how this new style develops over the coming decade or more.

Light yellow-gold. Powerful, deeply scented bouquet of peach nectar, sweet butter, chamomile, ginger and white flowers. Deep and chewy on the palate, offering spicy dried pit fruit and mineral flavours and a sexy floral quality that gains strength with air. Rich and weighty but energetic as well, finishing bright and long, with a repeating ginger note and a hint of candied fig.

Region: France, Rhone

Grape variety: Syrah

Tasting notes: Highly complex, distinguished nose, revealing the Syrah’s great finesse. Black fruits, sweet spices and, ultimately, finely woody. Full and generous on the palate with silky tannins and a very long finish.

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: 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: 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: 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.

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: Syrah

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