ABOUT: Founded in 2006 after the sale of Maison Paul Jaboulet Aine, Philippe Jaboulet and his son Vincent started a new project with a handful of acres of vines they held onto in Crozes-Hermitage. They added some more hectares of vines to their program and now produce some excellent Marsanne, Roussanne, and of course Syrah. The vineyards have received an environmental value certification from the French Ministry of Agriculture which recognizes the domaine’s efforts to implement environmentally respectful practices. Organic and biodynamic practices are the methods directed in the vineyards. Hats off to the Jaboulet team, keep expanding, we are crushing hard on your Syrah but would climb over many broken bottles of red for a Mule Blanche. TASTE: The Mule Blanche 2014 is a blend of 50% Marsanne and 50% Roussanne, harvested from a 7 hectare plot in the heart of Crozes-Hermitage. The vines are over 60 years old and half of the wine spends time in old barrels, the other half in stainless steel and concrete egg. For nerds, there’s no battonage and malolactic fermentation is blocked. Lush, nutty flavors of almonds, peaches, and pineapple, with baking spices and lime peel. Concentrated with a long finish and many more years of development ahead. PAIR:Pumpkin risotto with goat cheese, potato leek soup, spicy chickpea curry, pea and walnut pesto, pecan cheese ball, and corn grits with cheese.
