The Maison Paul Jaboulet Aîné was created in 1834 through the magical conjunction of a fertile land on a hillside by the Rhone and a family with a passion for winemaking.

Famed through the Hermitage La Chapelle, over the years the Domaines Paul Jaboulet Aîné took ownership of the finest appellations of the northern Rhone Valley, applying organic and biodynamic principles since taken over by the Frey family, ensuring a legacy in both vineyards and incredible wines.

The Maison Paul Jaboulet Aîné was created in 1834 through the magical conjunction of a fertile land on a hillside by the Rhone and a family with a passion for winemaking.

Famed through the Hermitage La Chapelle, over the years the Domaines Paul Jaboulet Aîné took ownership of the finest appellations of the northern Rhone Valley, applying organic and biodynamic principles since taken over by the Frey family, ensuring a legacy in both vineyards and incredible wines.

A legendary cru… Over centuries, this mythical cru has built its reputation on a single hill, and an epic history. In the beginning, the hill was home to a hermitage founded by Henri Gaspard de Sterimberg in 1224. This knight, returning from the Albigensian Crusade, and weary of bloodshed, asked permission to Blanche of Castille to take refuge from the world on the summit of this granite hill. Soon joined by others, the community began to plant vines… A charming tale, but one that overlooks the fact that the Hermitage owes only its name to the hermit: the vineyard has existed since ancient times with the famous wines of Vienne.

Soil – The Syrah vines are planted in poor and very diverse terroirs. The Bessards with very uneven granite soils, Le Meal with limestone and silica and the Rocoules with limestone and clay. It is the richness of these different exclusive terroirs which provide the La Chapelle with its signature complexity.

Grape Variety – 100% Syrah, goblet pruning on stakes

Age of vines – 40 to 60 years

Vinification – At a perfect maturity, the Syrah grapes are picked by hand, carried in small crates to the winery. They are hand sorted, destemmed and lightly crushed. The maceration on the skin lasts 3 to 4 weeks with daily pump-overs.

La Chapelle is ageing in oak in our cellars for 15 to 18 months. French Oak barrels are renewed 20% every year. The final blend is done after the end of the ageing and done through judicious selection from the terroirs of Hermitage in order to give ‘La Chapelle’ its own personality of power, ageing potential and legend.

The complexity here is of the kind that reveals a truly great wine. There are so many things happening, graphite, slate, fleshy layers of blackberry fruits that collide immediately afterwards by a tightly controlled edge of tannins, then the whole thing finishes slowly, cleanly. Incredible

Decanter – 97 points

Tasted at Château La Lagune, owner Caroline Frey’s Bordeaux outpost. One of the legendary wines from Hermitage Hill, La Chapelle comes from pretty much the only spot on the Rhone’s Left Bank where you find granite, along with the classic galet stones. The Jaboulet style is to blend their plots from across the hill, resulting in the stunning power of this wine. The complexity here is of the kind that reveals a truly great wine. There are so many things happening, graphite, slate, fleshy layers of blackberry fruits that collide immediately afterwards by a tightly controlled edge of tannins, then the whole thing finishes slowly, cleanly. Incredible.

Wine Advocate Robert Parker – 95 points

A much more structured, even austere, Hermitage than the La Petite Chapelle release, the 2013 Hermitage la Chapelle came from minuscule yields of ten to 18 hectoliters per hectare and was aged 15-18 months in 20% new French oak. Not harvested until the 12th of October, it offers a sensational bouquet of blackberry and black raspberry fruits, powdered rock, gunpowder and pepper. Medium to full-bodied, with good (though maybe not great) levels of concentration, it has high, yet beautifully polished tannin, integrated acidity, and terrific cut and focus on the finish. Give bottles 4-5 years of cellaring and enjoy over the following two decades.

Caroline Frey and winemaker Jacques Desvernois continue to make a bevy of high quality wines from throughout the Rhône Valley. Both their 2014s and 2013s show the vintage character nicely, and the wines show fresher, more elegant profiles without sacrificing too much density and depth. I’d like a touch more flesh and texture in a few of these latest releases, but there’s no denying the high quality coming from this estate today. One noteworthy change here is that after decades of working with Frederick Wildman & Sons, Paul Aîné Jaboulet will now be represented in the US by New York based Skurnik Wines. Hopefully this will lead to broader distribution and more access to these wines as there’s tons of value and quality in the lineup.

James Suckling – 94 points

Plenty of pepper on the nose. This has a striking, granitic influence with graphite, black stones, beef fat and sweet spices, as well as plenty of star anise and dark, rich plums. The palate has rich, deep fleshy fruit that has really filled out nicely. Tannins are fine and gently grippy. There’s plenty of dark plum flesh with some mocha and chocolate, too. Acidity is bright. Drinking well now, but will shine from 2025.

Vinous – 93-95 points

Inky purple. Heady, mineral-accented aromas of dried cherry, blackberry and pungent herbs, with a sexy potpourri nuance building in the glass. Juicy, concentrated and broad, offering vibrant cherry compote and licorice pastille flavors and a hint of fruitcake. Supple, fine-grained tannins give shape to the penetrating, smoky finish, which leaves sappy black and blue fruit notes behind.