Domaines Paul Jaboulet Aîné - Hermitage La Maison Bleue 2018

Bettane & Desseauve

About the domain :

Caroline Frey diligently manages this valley institution. The changes she has undertaken have never been more fruitful, both in the vineyard and in the winery. The red wines are refined, refined and fresh in their fruit flavors, while the whites are fresh and sophisticated. At the top of the range, the mythical Hermitage La Chapelle, a skilful blend of Méal and Bessard, two of the hill's most famous slopes.

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

About the wine:

From the eastern part of the hillside, Hermitage La Maison Bleue 2018 is earthy, welcoming and open, with notes of crushed stone enhancing red raspberry and vanilla. Full-bodied and lush, with a creamy texture, it's approachable young, but remains powerful, rich and long on the finish. I expect it to close over the next two years, then reappear and blossom after 2025 or so.

RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France

About the domain :

Founded in 1834, Paul Jaboulet Aîné remained a family business until 2006, when it was bought out by the Frey finance company. Alongside its trading activity, which has significantly reduced its volumes, "PJA" owns the second largest vineyard estate in Hermitage. Its 25 ha (21 reds, four whites) have pride of place in Le Méal, Les Greffieux, Les Dionnières, Les Roucoules and a few Bessards at the far western end of the hillside. Until the early 1990s, this institution produced some of the world's most legendary Syrahs, including La Chapelle, a blend of aged Syrahs. Depending on the vintage, between 30 and 80,000 bottles of La Chapelle red are produced. Selection is based on tannin finesse and depth. The middle and lower slopes of the Méal constitute the heart of the cuvée. After a year's ageing, with 15-20% new barrels, the less dense lots are discarded and enter La Petite Chapelle (now called Maison Bleue), to be drunk within five to seven years.

Vinous A. Galloni

About the wine:

Inky-violet color. Aromas of cherry, blueberry, licorice and candied violet are complemented by notes of baking spices, incense and smoky minerals. Succulent and penetrating on the palate, it offers deeply concentrated flavors of black and blue fruits, spices and floral pastilles that become more energetic as the wine slowly stretches. Heavy and broad, but also lively, it finishes with precise delineation, well-presented tannins and exceptional persistence, focused on flowers and minerals.

James Suckling

About the wine:

A red of impressive depth and richness, but still concentrated and balanced by highly polished, fine tannins that bind together flavors of berry, smoke and chocolate, not to mention tar. Full-bodied, yet creamy and round. Drink from 2022.

Jeb Dunnuck

About the wine:

Hermitage La Maison Bleue 2018 comes from the eastern part of the appellation and is much more fleshy and opulent than La Chapelle, which has a more mineral framework. Notes of jammy blackberry and blackcurrant, but also crushed herbs, graphite and violets accompanied by remarkable richness, concentration and a great finish make this a fascinating Hermitage. It will benefit from 4-5 years of bottle age.