On the nose a well achieved mix of dark fruits and spices. With some air licorice, black olives and herbal notes become more apparent. After a while, the black fruits come back reinforced, but only to fade away and reappear later on. In the mouth, the tannins are still very gripping. At first, this Syrah is less filling than you would expect and with a finish that is a bit abrupt. The aftertaste is discrete, but nevertheless fairly long. As on the nose, in the mouth the experience also improves with time.
This wine is produced by Philippe & Vincent Jaboulet under the Crozes-Hermitage appellation. The winery was founded by father and son, when Philippe decided to leave the role of director of production at the family domain Paul Jaboulet Aîné, whose wine La Chapelle Hermitage was made legendary by the 1961 vintage.
Crozes-Hermitage is an appellation of the northern Rhône Valley in France. It is much larger than the highly prestigious Hermitage appellation, which it surrounds. As a result of its extension, more wine is produced and sold under the Crozes-Hermitage denomination than under the other seven northern Rhône appellations combined. Although inside the appellation there are different terroirs, and generalization is therefore difficult, wines produced in the Crozes-Hermitage tend to have less structure and display less complexity than wines produced in the other northern Rhône appellations.
The vast majority of Crozes-Hermitage wines are reds made with Syrah, a grape variety indigenous of the Region. The other grape varieties cultivated in this region located around the town of Tain L’Hermitage are the white varieties Roussanne and Marsanne, which can be used either to produce white wines or to complement (up to 15%) Syrah in the red wines blend.
This bottle I got for 17 EUR directly at the winery, when I visited in April 2015.
Country: France
Region: Rhône Valley
Grapes: Syrah
Type: Red
Vintage: 2010
Producer: Philippe & Vincent Jaboulet
Price range: Medium (15-30 US$)
Pascal’s Enjoyment Index: 3/5