Jaboulet Aine

If you ever stood at the top of the granite hill of Hermitage, which towers above the village of Tain-l’Hermitage in the northern part of the Rhône Valley, you will see one of France’s most legendary wine-growing regions. The Paul Jaboulet Aîné winery has been making wine on this hill since 1834, changing it from a single vineyard into one of the most renowned wine estates in the Rhône Valley.

A small chapel on the hilltop, built in 1235, served as the inspiration for the winery’s name and brought it worldwide fame.

History

The winery was founded by Antoine Jaboulet, born in 1807, who in 1834 began cultivating vineyards on the slopes of Hermitage in Tain l'Hermitage. After his death, the estate was inherited by his sons Paul and Henri, and the winery was eventually named after Paul, with the word ‘Aîné’ meaning ‘eldest son’ in French. The winery was passed down from generation to generation until 1940, when Louis Jaboulet (Louis Jaboulet). During his tenure, there were 42 vintages, and he created several legendary wines, including the 1961 ‘Hermitage La Chapelle’, which has since been regarded as one of the greatest wines of the 20th century. Louis also created ‘Parallèle 45’, which the winery describes as the oldest wine in the Côtes du Rhône.

From 1977, Gérard Jaboulet expanded the winery’s business on the international market until his sudden death in 1997; after which the quality of the wine became a bit inconsistent. In 2006, the Swiss-French entrepreneur Jean-Jacques Frey acquired the entire winery business. His daughter, Caroline Frey, took over the management and winemaking, and the winery immediately underwent a rapid transformation.

Vineyards

The winery owns around 120 hectares of vineyards, situated in the northern and southern parts of the Rhône Valley. In the north, the main vineyards include plots on the Hermitage hill, notably Les Bessards, Le Méal and Les Rocoules, as well as Domaine de Thalabert in Crozes-Hermitage.

The vineyards also extend to Cote-Rotie, Cornas, Condrieu, Saint-Joseph and Saint-Péray. To the south, the estate owns vineyards in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, including ‘Domaine de Terre Ferme’, acquired in 2007, as well as vineyards in Gigondas, Vacqueyras and on the banks of the Rhône (Côtes du Rhône). In 2016, all the estate’s vineyards were certified organic, and the transition to biodynamic farming methods began.

Terroir

The Hermitage mountain range is the heart of the estate. This steep, south-facing granite outcrop rises above the banks of the Rhône in Tain l’Hermitage. The soils on the mountain slopes vary: from the granite-sand soils of ‘Les Bessards’, which produce wines with the densest structure and the greatest ageing potential, to the mixed granite-meadow-limestone soils of ‘Le Méal’ (Le Méal), which generally produce wines with a more intense aroma and pronounced fruitiness.

Crozes-Hermitage surrounds the hill on three sides; the terrain here is gentler, and the proportion of alluvial deposits and clay is higher. Just to the north, in Côte-Rôtie and Condrieu, lie steep terraces of schist, where growing conditions are entirely different. The diversity of soil types across the entire estate is unparalleled amongst individual wine-growing estates in the Rhône Valley.

Grape varieties

Syrah is the foundation of the Northern Rhône’s red wines and is used exclusively for the production of Hermitage, Crozes-Hermitage, Cornas and Saint-Joseph. In Côte-Rôtie, in addition to Syrah, a small amount of Viognier may be added. As for white wines, the Marsanne and Roussanne varieties are used to produce Hermitage, Crozes-Hermitage, Saint-Joseph and Saint-Péray wines, whilst Viognier is the sole variety in Condrieu. In the southern part of the Rhône Valley, Grenache dominates the blends of Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Côtes du Rhône, complemented by Syrah, Mourvèdre, Cinsault and other varieties, depending on the specific region.

Winemaking

Under the guidance of Caroline Frey, a new cellar with a gravity-fed system was built at the winery in 2010, and the winemaking philosophy shifted towards gentle handling and minimal intervention. Vinification uses a range of containers, selected individually for each wine and each vintage: Both cellars are equipped with concrete egg-shaped vats, conical vats, demi-barrels and oak barrels.

In recent years, the proportion of oak barrels used has decreased slightly. As for red wines, Hermitage is usually aged in oak barrels for 12 months, whilst Thalabert is bottled after approximately 9 months. Every year, oak barrels are supplied by six coopers; factors such as the origin of the wood, texture and degree of toasting are taken into account during selection, and blending barrels from different batches adds further complexity to the wine.

Tastings are conducted throughout the ageing process, with the results serving as the basis for decision-making.

Wines

The product range is divided into three tiers.

The ‘Essentials’ series includes wines for everyday drinking, including the red and white Les Jalets Crozes-Hermitage and Le Grand Pompée Saint-Joseph.

The ‘Classics’ series comprises wines from single vineyards, including Domaine de Thalabert, Côte-Rôtie Les Jumelles, Cornas Les Grandes Terrasses, and the white wine Condrieu Les Cassines.

The top-tier ‘Collections’ series brings together the most prestigious wines from single vineyards and individual estates. ‘Hermitage La Chapelle’, made from 100% Syrah from three plots, Les Bessards, Le Méal and Les Rocoules, is the estate’s most famous wine.

Its white counterpart, ‘Le Chevalier de Sterimberg’, is made from a blend of Masane and Roussanne. Both wines are currently part of the range of the “Domaine de La Chapelle” winery, founded in 2023. The “Parallèle 45 Côtes du Rhône”, created in 1950, remains the main entry-level wine in the range of wines from the south of France.