The 13 year old, 2006 Paul Jaboulet Aine Cote Rotie Les Jumelles had 13.5% alcohol, cost $65 then, and worth $95 now, scored 18+ points on the Dionysian scale of 20. Cote Rotie means the “roasted slope” from the sun it gets, and the vineyard color in autumn.
It is 100% Syrah (they use to add a bit of white Viognier) but its red berry nose, with pepper, spice and rose petal was remarkable. The color was dark ruby.
Rabbit loin and hind quarters, and quail followed by hard cheese married with the wine perfectly.
Cote Rotie and Hermitage are the two best examples form all of the Rhone Valley wines. This wine still didn’t need decanting, but I did it anyway. It was balanced with great acidity. A 1961 version of this wine just sold for $1,040 a bottle. I couldn’t wait 50 years for this one, but it could have done another 20 easy years. I wish I’d bought a full case. In Vino Veritas.
Robert Frank
1961 Jaboulet has a great reputation, especially the La Chapelle Hermitage.
I was part of a vertical tasting of La Chapelle last summer.
Most vintages, beginning with the ’83, which I brought (it was a 1/2 bottle, so fully mature for my taste) up to recent vintages. My favorites were the 1990 (a truly beautiful wine in a nice stage showing youth with some maturity) followed by the 1989. The more recent vintages showed the new owners, the Frey family, were in the process of re-establishing the reputation of Jaboulet. Gerard must have been turning over in his grave around the turn of the century.