Much has been written about the striking renaissance of this Northern Rhône heavyweight since its acquisition by the Frey family in 2006, but tasting across the range with Luna Gauchot during her visit last week offered a timely reminder of just how far the wines have come.
Under Caroline Frey’s direction, Jaboulet has undergone an ambitious restoration that has returned the house, quicksmart, to the forefront of Rhône winemaking. Caroline Frey’s immediate priority was a full-scale organic revolution. The vineyards achieved certification in 2016 and are now farmed in accordance with regenerative and biodynamic principles.
There is no doubt that the move to organic viticulture has galvanised every wine in the portfolio. Beyond sharpening their sense of place — Frey’s original ambition — it has also brought brighter natural acidity that lends freshness and definition throughout the range.
In parallel, the cellars have been modernised with gravity-fed systems, meticulous fruit selection, and more restrained élevage designed to intensify the wines’ clarity and site expression. The approach today feels markedly less Bordeaux-influenced, while the wines themselves are impeccably clean and precise; no Rhône funk here. Jaboulet has also steadily reduced its négociant activity, placing greater emphasis on estate-grown fruit and terroir transparency.
Back to the tasting, and the three Crozes-Hermitage reds offered a clear illustration of the estate’s current direction, as well as a reminder that Crozes remains one of the Rhône’s more dependable sources of value.
Les Jalets, drawn largely from the southern sector of the appellation, occupies the introductory tier of the range, though one would never describe it as simple. It is supple and satisfying, full of wild berry fruit carried by freshness and spice rather than sweetness.
Domaine de Thalabert — from its old vines on the Les Châssis plain — moves into more classical northern Rhône territory: smoked meat, olive tapenade, cracked pepper and that bloodshot register which Syrah reaches so naturally here.
Domaine de Roure, by contrast, comes from the granite slopes above Gervans at the far northern edge of the appellation; darker, more tensile and mineral, with a narrower, more vertical structure. At times, it edges stylistically towards Saint-Joseph or even a baby Hermitage.
Jaboulet is back where it belongs, and it tastes great.
2023 Paul Jaboulet Aîné
Crozes-Hermitage Les Jalets
“Les Jalets” refers to the rounded glacial stones — galets — that define many of the vineyards of Crozes-Hermitage. The 2023 Les Jalets is made from organically farmed Syrah grown primarily on the terraces of Les Chassis, where deep clay soils are mixed with galets deposited during the last ice age. The fruit comes from 25-year-old vines and includes parcels from Jaboulet’s own Thalabert vineyards as well as vines in La Roche-de-Glun.
The grapes are hand-harvested, sorted and fully destemmed before undergoing a three-week maceration with daily pump-overs. The wine is aged for 12 months in a mix of French oak vats, French oak barrels, and stainless-steel tanks.
“Mainly crafted from estate-grown fruit, complemented by purchased grapes, the 2023 Crozes-Hermitage Les Jalets reveals aromas of dark berries, spices, tapenade and flowers mingled with notes of fresh licorice. Medium- to full-bodied, round and supple, it’s elegantly juicy, framed by delicate tannins and concluding with a fresh, perfumed finish.”
91 points, The Wine Advocate
2022 Paul Jaboulet Aîné
Crozes-Hermitage Domaine de Thalabert
Based in the famous pudding-stone terroir of Les Châssis, Domaine de Thalabert has long been one of the pillars of Crozes-Hermitage. Acquired by Paul Jaboulet Aîné in 1834, the 40-hectare domaine remains both the oldest estate in the appellation and its largest single holding — an important part of the northern Rhône’s history.
Thalabert has a strong identity of its own. Old Syrah vines — some planted before the Second World War — grow deep into soils covered with galets roulés and iron-rich red clay, bringing atypical depth, savoury character and complexity.
All fruit is harvested by hand, parcel by parcel, then carefully sorted in small crates before complete destemming and long macerations. Extraction is gentle, while ageing takes place in stainless steel, large old oak vats and demi-muids, helping the wine gain texture and balance without losing freshness or precision.
In the glass, Thalabert shows the darker side of northern Rhône Syrah, with notes of blackberry, bilberry, black olive and cracked pepper, alongside a subtle mineral note reminiscent of warm stones after rain. The wine is generous yet controlled, with fine tannins and a long, spicy finish.
“This proves that Crozes-Hermitage can be a truly great wine. A wealth of black fruit, smoke, black pepper and raw meat aromas. At once bold, structured and elegantly balanced on the medium- to full-bodied palate, where the interplay of fleshiness and fine tannins is stunning. Very long, stony finish with notes of licorice and blackberries. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.”
95 points, James Suckling
Paul Jaboulet Aîné
Crozes-Hermitage Domaine de Roure
In 1996, Paul Jaboulet Aîné became custodian of the historic Domaine Raymond Roure estate, based in the granite hillsides of Gervans, north of Tain-l’Hermitage.
The vineyards sit on steep granitic slopes with gradients of 10% to 40% at approximately 220 metres altitude, with south-west exposure and dense vine plantings of around 7,000 vines per hectare. Unlike most of Crozes-Hermitage, the soils here are composed of decomposed granite and saprolite, producing wines of concentration, tension and structure. In this respect, Domaine de Roure can resemble the darker, more brooding wines of Saint-Joseph and Hermitage more than the softer Crozes wines from the south.
The fruit is hand-picked into small 12kg crates, manually sorted and fully destemmed. Fermentation follows a traditional three-week maceration with daily pump-overs, after which the wine is aged for 12 months in French oak barrels and demi-muids, approximately 20% of which are new.
Often described as a “mini-Hermitage,” the resulting wine is muscular, dense and deeply structured, combining powerful tannins with substantial fruit concentration. Alongside the 2022, we have shipped a small parcel of the 2015 Museum Release; expect more savoury, Hermitage-like truffly perfume and velvety texture from this cellar-aged release.
2022 Crozes-Hermitage Domaine de Roure
“A cool and very bright wine with the kind of mountain freshness the syrah grape is capable of in the Northern Rhone. Smoky and fragrant, with notes of verbena, rosemary, thyme and wildflowers. With aeration the wild blackberry aromas grow and grow. Very precisely contoured, with moderately dry tannins that interlock very neatly with the animating acidity. Excellent aging potential. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.”
94 points, James Suckling
2015 Crozes-Hermitage Domaine de Roure
(Ex-Cellars)
“Opaque ruby. An assertively scented, complex bouquet features mineral-accented boysenberry, cherry liqueur, licorice and smoky mineral aromas that expand with air. Stains the palate with sweet, dense black and blue fruit, spicecake and candied violet flavors that show a surprisingly graceful touch thanks to a spine of juicy acidity. Velvety, slow-mounting tannins shape a broad, smoke-laced finish that hangs on with superb, floral-driven persistence.”
95 points, Josh Reynolds, Vinous (tasted 2018)