Philippe & Vincent Jaboulet Nouvelère Crozes-Hermitage 2016

The wine business is dominated by a few prominent family names. In France’s Northern Rhône region, one of the most notable names is ‘Jaboulet’. For about 200 years, under the name of the founder, the winery of Paul Jaboulet Aine earned acclaim making Syrah based wines from grapes grown on the slopes of the fabled hill called ‘Hermitage’. The exalted Hermitage appellation is a mere 136 ha of vineyards, and the Jaboulet family owned a full fifth of them, as well as vineyards in outstanding but less prestigious nearby appellations.

But like all family stories, this one has a twist. Nowadays the wines under the label of Paul Jaboulet Aine are no longer made by the Jaboulet family. At the end of last century, the Jaboulet family business was under the control of great grandson Gerard. When Gerard died in 1997, seven members of the Jaboulet family were still involved in the business. Then suddenly and mysteriously, in 2006 the family sold the estate to the Frey family, who have continued making wines under the name of the famous Jaboulet founder.

As one era ended, another began. When his family business was sold, Philippe Jaboulet and his son Vincent retained about 32 acres of the family vineyards. They managed to keep one particularly desirable plot within the Crozes-Hermitage appellation, at the base of the Hermitage hill, where the grapes for this elegant and charming wine were grown. They renamed this prized vineyard ‘Nouvelère’ or ‘new era’.