Mission Codename The second Jab
Thalabert is SOLD OUT. Yet there is more… today is Jaboule Day after all!
It continues, and it sure is RATCHETING UP! Now, are you ready for some Baby Chapelle?!
This wine was called “La Petit Chapelle” from the inaugural 2003 through the 2014 vintage, when it got renamed La Maison Bleue, per Jaboulet: “leaning against the Hermitage Hill, one of the most beautiful vineyards in the world, this small stone house with blue shutters was once a real haven of peace for their winegrowers: a place to work, rest and share located in the heart of a legendary terroir.”
The name change was mostly because the wine became too virtuous to remain under the shadow of La Chapelle, one of the greatest wines amongst peers on the planet, when Wine Advocate explained: “rather than being a selection of lots that didn’t make the cut for La Chapelle, it’s more terroir-based, with the wine coming from the eastern (non-granitic) side of the appellation.”
So, it’s essentially a mirror image of the $225 La Chapelle for a rock-bottom $59! As Wine Advocate says “the proof is in the pudding: Some of the 2017s are the best I’ve ever tasted at this address.”
Our very first Jaboulet offering, the mythical Hermitage La Chapelle 2017 came and went in a matter of hours back in 2020. Understandable, given it was nowhere near the fat release price, albeit still pricey for even the hardest of Rhône fans, it’s hard to hoard the world’s greatest wines by the case, we get it.
So since, we’ve been BEGGING and PLEADING behind the scenes for another Jaboulet, for one you CAN buy - by the case, guilt-free - and pop a Jaboulet whenever you feel like it without thinking twice.
That resulted in the Thalabert we blew through, but get this, for just a tad more, we got you this big, bad Baby Chapelle, too!
While it lasts that is…
95 Points – Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
“Jaboulet’s 2017 Hermitage La Maison Bleue is flat-out sexy stuff, full-bodied, plush and generous without being overripe or unstructured. Licorice, cassis and Asian five-spice powder burst from the glass in a complex whirl of scents and flavors. Sourced from the eastern end of the appellation, it offers immediate gratification and admirable quality at a fraction of the price of the La Chapelle. Drink 2020-2035.”
What the Winery Says
2017 'La Maison Bleue' Hermitage
- Winemaker
- Caroline Frey
- Varietals
- 100% Syrah
- Vintage
- 2017
- Alcohol
- 13%
- Region
- Hermitage, Rhône Valley, France
- Average vine age
- 40-60 years
- Soils
- Clay, silt, marl, granite
- Fermentation
- Large oak vats
- Aging
- 10 months
- Barrels
- 20% new French oak