Before talking about the producer, let’s give some background on Hermitage. The name means ‘a place for refuge’. The story goes that in 1230, a knight who had came from the Fifth Crusade called Sterimberg, came to this place in Rhone to seek refuge from his wife(!)and built a small chapel at the hill for prayer. This place later is known as ‘Hermitage’, producing mainly red with a small amount of white.
The Jaboulet family is probably one of the oldest family in Rhone but unfortunately the records were all destroyed during the French Revolution. It was founded by Antonine Jaboulet and his twin sons, with Paul (the eldest) established the company in its current form.
The firm’s own vineyard covers about a quarter of the production needs, with the remaining coming from raw materials purchased from more than 150 growers in the Rhone valley, with two-thirds in wine rather than grapes. Their most celebrated wine is the Hermitage La Chapelle, named after the solitary tiny white chapel that sits atop the steepest slope of the Hermitage hill. The vines are coming from two vineyards known as Le Meal and Les Bessards. Jaboulet has a total of 25ha in Hermitage, with 18ha growing red and 7ha in white. The vines are grown on a steep slope, with 100% Syrah. Normally harvested around early Oct, because of the slope the vines ripen at different stage, which can differ by more than 10 days. The white is called Le Chevalier de Sterimberg, which can be drunk at an early age.The La Chapelle is a wine made to last. Intensely concentrated, it normally will take more than a decade to soften its tannin and by then only starting to reveal the perfume and richness of the wine. The quality and complexity is rivaled only by the top Bordeaux and Burgundy, and a few Rhones.
The wine is not clarified, with only a light filtration after malolactic fermentation. Interestingly, Jaboulet is among the first to bottle the Hermitage, with less than 14 months in oak. Most people recognized Hermitage with a high degree of alcohol, but Jaboulet rarely exceeds 13% ABV. The impact of the wine mainly comes from the complexity arising from the old vines grown in the granite soil of the vineyards.
Wines I have tasted / owned from this producer:
- Hermitage La Chapelle 2000
- Hermitage La Chapelle 2001
- Le Chevalier de Sterimberg 2003
Wine: Hermitage La ChapelleRegion / Country: Hermitage Rhone France
Vintage: 2001
Grape: 100% Syrah
ABV: 13.5%
Price: HK$896
Tasting Date: 17 September 2011
Wineshark Score: 92
Deep ruby colour with garnet rims, this Hermitage exhibits an intense developing aromas of blackberry, plum, black cherry, smoke, tobacco, savory, nutmeg and meaty notes. Medium acidity with ripe and fine-grained tannin, the wine is fully body with a medium intensity flavors of blackberry, smoke, plum, baked black cherry, black pepper, savory and vegetal characters. Overall of good quality, the nose is one of the best in my experience of very complex and intense profile, showing both the ripeness of the grape and the maturity of the wine. Comparatively the palate is less spectacular but still enjoyable, with a reasonable length. Ready to drink now but has the potential for further ageing of another 6-8 years.
Wine: Le Chevalier de Sterimberg
Region / Country: Hermitage Rhone France
Vintage: 2003
Grape: 65% Marsanne, 35% Roussanne
ABV: 14.5%
Price: HK$496
Tasting Date: 10 September 2011
Wineshark Score: 93
Medium lemon colour, with a medium and developing nose of pear, apricot, peach, honey, nut, cream, honeysuckle, lemon, toast and tropical fruit. The wine exhibits medium acidity which is refreshing, of full body and having intense flavors of apricot, honey, cream, lemon, hazelnut, pear and smoke. Overall a good quality Rhone white with a complex nose and palate. The intense flavors of ripe fruit and honey signify good ripeness upon harvest with the typical higher alcohol level for a Rhone . A very balanced and well structured wine with a good length. Ready to drink now but can benefit for further ageing for another 3-5 years.
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