Mission Codename The first Jab
“The proof is in the pudding: Some of the 2017s are the best I’ve ever tasted at this address.” – Wine Advocate
Over the moon that we secured the last of this now library vintage at a crazy good price. When this sells out, we have a couple of other surprises lined up from this esteemed producer. It’s a Jaboulet-a-thon kind of day!
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 $225 release price. Still pricey for even the hardest of Rhône fans though, and 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.
Here it is, today, finally!
Another 2017, one that SCREAMS incredible value, just down the hill from Hermitage and La Chapelle, in Crozes-Hermitage, from the oldest vines that this insiders’ appellation has, and by Jaboulet nonetheless, whom Wine Spectator calls “one of the wine world’s most storied houses”
In a way, the history of Thalabert is one of Crozes, and of Jaboulet.
Jancis Robinson explains best: “I have a particularly soft spot for Domaine de Thalabert, it having over-performed in so many vintages… It was the first vineyard bought by the eponymous founder of the house, way back in 1834, and is the oldest vineyard in Crozes-Hermitage. Today some of the Syrah vines in an area that totals around 40 ha (100 acres) are as old as 80, and average yields, on the stony terraces that constitute this vineyard, are as low as 25 hl/ha.” She concludes, for Crozes-Hermitage: “Domaine de Thalabert can be one of the best.”
Checking all the hallmarks of a great Northern Rhône, this truly represents the perfect balance between fruit (black berry and plum) and savory (black pepper and olive) with a silky mouthfeel, by now (6 years) fully resolved plush tannins, it’s impossible to stop sipping this classic.
Indeed, Jancis, this 2017 sure is one of the best!
94 Points – Jeb Dunnuck
“This terroir always delivers a wild, opulent, gamey style of wine, and the 2017 Crozes-Hermitage Domaine de Thalabert doesn’t disappoint. Loads of chocolaty black fruits, ground pepper, truffle, and smoked game, as well as a hint of black olives, emerge from the glass, and it’s medium to full-bodied, has a rocking texture, ripe tannins, and a great finish. It’s a classic example of this wine and terroir. Drink it over the coming 15 years or so. Drink 2020-2035.”
What the Winery Says
2017 'Domaine de Thalabert' Crozes-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