2015 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Hermitage La Maison Bleue, France, Rhone, Wine Review

This was the first vintage of this wine as it replaced the La Petit Chapelle bottling. It seems to be a bottling made for more immediate drinking than the La Chapelle bottling. It is a very classic Hermitage nevertheless and at age 8, this seems to be just settling in. Purple in color with ruby hues, opaque and bright. The nose has black raspberries, black olives, and smoked herbs. Full bodied. Medium tannins. On the palate, black raspberries with a slight floral (violet?) note and smoke. Great acidity. Long finish. This is drinking well and should easily go another ten years. Nice on its own, but better with food. A nice choice would be Coq au Vin.

Grade:

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Vintage:

2015

Current Price:

$65.00USD

Rhone Valley & Spanish Rhone-style Wines Tasted at the 2008 Hospice du Rhone Events

The Rhone Report: About Rhone and Rhone-Style Wines and Winemakers is part of an ongoing series. Last month we reported on American Rhone-style wines we tasted at the 16th annual Hospice du Rhone events in Paso Robles, California from May 1 to 3, 2008. We noted that this event was an opportunity to consider Rhone-style wines from a fresh perspective because, unlike most tasting opportunities, these events included Rhone-style wines from the Rhone Valley itself (51 wineries), elsewhere in France (4 wineries) as well as from Spain (4 wineries), Australia (17 wineries), South Africa (6 wineries), Chile (2 wineries), Argentina (1 winery) and the United States. While this was a California-dominated event, and while many of the Rhone Valley’s best producers weren’t represented, there was still sufficient European and other entries to make for interesting comparisons and contrasts.

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Do Northern Rhone Syrahs Have to Break the Bank?

The Rhone Report: About Rhone and Rhone-Style Wines and Winemakers is part of an ongoing series. The classic red wines of the Northern Rhone Valley are some of the world’s greatest. Hermitage, Côte Rôtie and Cornas reds are the finest expressions of Syrah on earth. But the best of them have gotten to be very expensive, especially in American dollars. Recent vintages of Hermitage from Jean-Louis Chave are now more than $200 per bottle (and his scarce, top cuvee, Cathelin, is over $1,000). Guigal’s Côte Rôtie La Landonne, La Mouline and La Turque are nearly $250 per bottle, and even the Guigal Côte Rôtie Brune et Blond bottling is over $75.

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Northern Rhone Red: The Original Syrah

It’s summer, which means that for three months we say goodbye to rich, heavy red wines and welcome into our repertoire zippy whites and crisp roses to sip on the porch while soaking in the sun. That’s what most of the country does, at least. But not here. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area, whose summer comes in the fall and spring, whose spring comes in the winter, and whose winter comes in the summer (and whose fall never comes).

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2008 Hospice du Rhone Events: Highs & Lows of American Rhone-style Wines Tasted

The Rhone Report: About Rhone and Rhone-Style Wines and Winemakers is part of an ongoing series. The 16th annual Hospice du Rhone events in Paso Robles, California from May 1 to 3, 2008 was an opportunity to consider Rhone-style wines from a fresh perspective. Unlike most tasting opportunities, these events included Rhone-style wines from the Rhone Valley itself (51 wineries), elsewhere in France (4 wineries) as well as from Spain (4 wineries), Australia (17 wineries), South Africa (6 wineries), Chile (2 wineries), Argentina (1 winery) and the United States. The American wines were mostly from California (144 wineries), but a few examples from Arizona (2 wineries) and Washington State (5 wineries) were also included. While this is a California-dominated event, and while many of the Rhone Valley’s best producers aren’t represented, there is still sufficient European and other entries to make for interesting comparisons and contrasts. The events included two general tastings and a series of focused seminars.

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2010 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Crozes-Hermitage Domaine de Thalabert, France, Rhone, Wine Review

Vintage:

2010

Score:

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Current Price:

$45.00USD

This is a Syrah from the Northern Rhone Valley in France. Crozes-Hermitage is a great source of values and this is one of the best wines made. At age ten, this is cruising along and just entering adulthood. Purple in color, opaque and bright. The nose has black raspberries, black olives, slight bacon fat and spice. Pretty classic. On the palate, this shows a tight complexity that unwinds in the glass. Layers of black raspberries with an earthiness and a meatiness to it. Delicious. Long finish. This should drink well for the nest ten years. A nice match with brisket or roasted chi

2015 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Hermitage La Maison Bleue, France, Rhone, Wine Review

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Rhone Valley & Spanish Rhone-style Wines Tasted at the 2008 Hospice du Rhone Events

Do Northern Rhone Syrahs Have to Break the Bank?

Northern Rhone Red: The Original Syrah

2008 Hospice du Rhone Events: Highs & Lows of American Rhone-style Wines Tasted

2010 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Crozes-Hermitage Domaine de Thalabert, France, Rhone, Wine Review