1985 Côte-Rôtie, Les Jumelles, Paul Jaboulet Aîné, Rhône

1985 Côte-Rôtie, Les Jumelles, Paul Jaboulet Aîné, Rhône

Product: 19858116369
 
1985 Côte-Rôtie, Les Jumelles, Paul Jaboulet Aîné, Rhône

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Description

Paul Jaboulet Aîné produces some of the world's greatest wines from their base in the Rhone Valley. Hermitage La Chapelle is their most famous offering but as with their Rhone brethren Chapoutier & Guigal, they have extensive holdings in most of the great appellations in the northern end of the valley.

1985 was a truly great vintage in the Northern Rhone. The wines are now hard to source and although less fashionable then, compared to their status now, there is huge pleasure to be gained from them. On the nose this cannot be anything but mature Côte Rôtie. Beguiling, soft lifted Syrah fruit with notes of ripe strawberry and plum and sweet game meat reduction beneath.

The palate is equally supple and refined. Layers of complex, mature fruit wash over the palate building to a neat, precise and well judged finish. There is exceptional balance here, this is eminently drinkable. I would be delighted to polish off a bottle with Pheasant or Duck this winter and would be looking for a second bottle as soon as the first was finished!
Gary Owen, Private Account Manager

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About this WINE

Jaboulet

Jaboulet

Paul Jaboulet Aîné is an iconic producer in the Rhône Valley. Founded in 1834 by Antoine Jaboulet (father of Paul), it was Paul’s son Louis and grandson Gérard who can be heralded among the great ambassadors for both the region and the négociant. Upon Gérard’s untimely death in 1997, the business began struggling and was sold to the Frey family in 2005.

Caroline Frey, daughter of owner Jean-Jacques Frey, has been at the helm of winemaking here since 2006. She immediately began converting the estate to sustainable farming, achieving organic certification in 2016. In 2022, Jean-Guillaume Prats, of Bordeaux fame, was brought onboard.

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Côte-Rôtie

Côte-Rôtie

Côte-Rôtie is one of the most famous of the northern Rhône appellations, with some single vineyard cuvées now selling for the same prices as First Growth Bordeaux. It is the northernmost outpost of the Syrah grape.

Côte-Rôtie translates as ‘roasted hillside’, as the south-facing slopes are exposed to the maximum-possible sunlight. Vines have been planted here since Roman times, although the appellation was only created in 1940. Today it covers 500 hectares, with 276 hectares of vineyards stretched across eight kilometres.

Phylloxera devastated vineyards in the late 1800s and Côte-Rôtie’s fortunes remained in the doldrums for another century. After the War, a farmer would receive double the price for a kilo of apricots as for a kilo of grapes, hence vineyards were grubbed up and wine production became increasingly smaller.

It has only really been recognised as a top-quality wine-producing area since the 1970s, with Guigal being the main impetus behind its revival. The two best slopes, Côte Brune and Côte Blonde, rise steeply behind Ampuis and overlook the river. The Côte Brune wines are much firmer and more masculine (the soils are clay and ironstone), whereas the Côte Blonde makes wines with more finesse and elegance due to its light, sandy-limestone soil. Both the Côte Brune and Côte Blonde vineyards rise to 1,000 feet, with a gradient of 30 to 50 degrees.

The wines are made from the Syrah grape, however up to 20 percent of Viogner can be used in the blend, adding finesse, elegance and floral characteristics to the wine. Viognier ripens more quickly than Syrah and the appellation rules stipulate that the grapes must be added to the fermentation – rather than blended later. The best Côte-Rôtie are very deep in colour, tannic and spicy, and need 10 years to evolve and develop.

There are nearly 60 official vineyards (lieux-dits); the best-known are: La Mouline, La Chatillonne (Vidal-Fleury, owned by Guigal) and La Garde (Rostaing) in Côte Blonde; La Viallière, (Rostaing), La Landonne (Guigal, Rostaing) and La Turque (Guigal) in Côte Brune.

Styles vary from heavily-extracted tannic wines which need many years to soften through to lighter, supple and less-structured wines which do not require extended bottle ageing. The most famous wines of Côte-Rôtie are Guigal’s three single-vineyard cuvées: La Mouline, La Turque and La Landonne. These are aged in new wood for 48 months, and demand for them amongst connoisseurs and collectors is significant, leading to prices sometimes comparable to Bordeaux First Growths.

Recommended producers: Guigal, Gerrin, Rostaing, Ogier, Burgaud

Best vintages: 2006, 2005, 2004, 2001, 1999, 1991, 1990, 1985

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Northern Rhône blend

Northern Rhône blend

A Northern Rhône blend is a wine made from grapes grown in the northern part of the Rhône Valley in France. This region is known for producing some of the world’s most acclaimed and distinctive wines.

The red blends typically revolve around the Syrah (Shiraz) grape. These wines are known for their deep colour, complex aromas of dark fruits, black pepper, floral notes, and a firm tannic structure. The most famous appellations for these wines include Côte-Rôtie, Hermitage, and Cornas. Côte-Rôtie often incorporates a small percentage of Viognier, adding floral and aromatic elements to the wine.

In the Northern Rhône, Viognier is the primary white grape variety. Viognier-based wines from appellations like Condrieu are highly aromatic, with flavours of stone fruits, floral notes and sometimes a hint of spice. These wines are often full-bodied and have a luxurious texture.

A unique characteristic of some Northern Rhône red wines is the co-fermentation of Syrah and Viognier grapes. This process involves fermenting the two grape varieties, resulting in wines seamlessly integrating Viognier’s aromatic qualities with Syrah’s structure and depth.

Northern Rhône blends are celebrated for their elegance, complexity, and terroir-driven characteristics. They are considered some of the finest examples of varietal wines produced in France and are highly sought after by wine enthusiasts and collectors worldwide.

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