2020 St Joseph, La Croix des Vignes, Domaine Paul Jaboulet Aîné, Rhône
Critics reviews
Ripe and dense with a purity of fruit but some sweetness too. Tight and structured, the tannins solid and firm. Glow of alcohol on the finish. Big and powerful. Needs some time.
Drink 2024 - 2032
James Lawther MW, JancisRobinson.com (October 2021)
From a two-hectare vineyard parcel in Tournon, the 2020 Saint Joseph Domaine de la Croix des Vignes delivers notes of crushed stone and cassis marked by hints of espresso and dark chocolate. Medium to full-bodied, it's silky and fine, showing a pleasing level of elegance.
Drink 2023 - 2033
Joe Czerwinski, Wine Advocate (January 2022)
Fragrant notes of blue and purple flowers with vibrant bramble fruit and hints of fig. Full-bodied with fine-grained tannins. Lovely texture and minerality at the end. From organically grown grapes.
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com (November 2021)
About this WINE
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.
Saint-Joseph
Saint-Joseph is the second-largest appellation in the Northern Rhône with 50 growers producing wines from over 600 hectares of vineyards. Established in 1956, over 90 percent of the wine is red – made exclusively from the Syrah grape. The white wines, meanwhile, are typically a blend of Marsanne and Roussanne varieties. Its vineyards run due south on the west side below Condrieu, and are in six communes: Mauves, Tournon, St Jean-de-Muzols, Lemps, Vion and Glun.
The styles of wine in St Joseph tend to be much lighter than other red Appellations d'Origine Contrôlee and the quality can vary dramatically. The soils and climate differ, as it is a long, narrow AOC. There is no particular characteristic of the commune as some wines are produced near Côte-Rôtie, whilst others are near to Cornas.
The best St Josephs are still produced in the original heartland of the appellation between St Jean-de-Muzols and Mauves, where soils are predominately granitic with patches of limestone and schist. Typically, even the finest St Josephs are slightly lighter and faster-maturing than the wines of Hermitage, as Saint-Joseph's east-facing vineyards lose the sun up to two hours earlier in the crucial ripening season.
Recommended producers: Pierre Gaillard, Domaine Coursodon and Paul Jaboulet.
Syrah/Shiraz
A noble black grape variety grown particularly in the Northern Rhône where it produces the great red wines of Hermitage, Cote Rôtie and Cornas, and in Australia where it produces wines of startling depth and intensity. Reasonably low yields are a crucial factor for quality as is picking at optimum ripeness. Its heartland, Hermitage and Côte Rôtie, consists of 270 hectares of steeply terraced vineyards producing wines that brim with pepper, spices, tar and black treacle when young. After 5-10 years they become smooth and velvety with pronounced fruit characteristics of damsons, raspberries, blackcurrants and loganberries.
It is now grown extensively in the Southern Rhône where it is blended with Grenache and Mourvèdre to produce the great red wines of Châteauneuf du Pape and Gigondas amongst others. Its spiritual home in Australia is the Barossa Valley, where there are plantings dating as far back as 1860. Australian Shiraz tends to be sweeter than its Northern Rhône counterpart and the best examples are redolent of new leather, dark chocolate, liquorice, and prunes and display a blackcurrant lusciousness.
South African producers such as Eben Sadie are now producing world- class Shiraz wines that represent astonishing value for money.
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Description
From a very steep 1.5 hectare site from within the confines of the historic appellation. As I found with many of the Jaboulet reds in 2020, there is defining freshness that is testament to the skill of the winemaker and the decision to harvest early. There is a wonderful granitic minerality behind the core of velvety blackberry notes and a lovely olive tapenade character with just a touch of cured meats and truffle – concentrated but not overbearing. A testament to the value that Saint-Joseph continues to offer.
Drink 2025 - 2035+
Paul Keating, Account Manager, Berry Bros. & Rudd (February 2022)
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