Medium gold color; green apple, pear, peach, pineapple, apricot, melon, almond, minerality on the nose and palate.
Dry; minimal tannins; fresh acidity. Complex, delightful, expressive nose, as expected from a quality viognier. Medium body. Creamy, elegant, slight oiliness in the mouth. Good depth and complexity with an engaging balance between fruit and liveliness. Long, tangy, clean finish where minerality presents. Fine on pop-and-pour, develops nuances with exposure to air.
Wine is 100% viognier hand-picked grapes sourced from 20-year-old vines sourced from terroirs ranging from the Mediterranean coast to the foothills of the French Alps and the Massif Central region. Grapes whole-bunch pressed and vinified in low temperature-controlled stainless steel, aged six months in stainless steel lying on fine lees for depth, complexity, and creamy mouthfeel. 13% ABV
Founded in 1834, Paul Jaboulet Aîné is one of the Rhône’s prestige names. Antoine Jaboulet founded the company; his twin sons, Paul and Henri, expanded it. Successive sons ran the company until 2006 when Swiss billionaire Jean-Jacque Frey purchased it. Caroline Frey, Jean-Jacque’s daughter, is the winemaker and viticulturist. A graduate of Bordeaux University, she instituted biodynamic practices and installed a new gravity-flow winery to evoke terroir and produce minimal impact on the environment. The Secret de Famille cuvée is the Frey family’s commitment to making high quality wines that showcase regional terroir at an attractive price. This effort accomplishes that mission well.
The soul of the Paul Jaboulet property is a small chapel perched on a vine-covered hill. Built in 1235, the chapel is surrounded by what many assert is the world’s finest syrah vineyard. The chapel often is mentioned as one of the world’s most iconic vineyard chapels. You notice how superlatives comes up with this property. The world-exalted “Hermitage” wine gets its name from the hermit who lived in the chapel on the hill. There is great wine in the New World, but for magisterial stories you cannot top the Old World. You cannot top the chapel on Paul Jaboulet’s property.
Paul Jaboulet Aîné Viognier Secret de Famille, Tain L’Hermitage, France 2022 is impressive entry level viognier that touches all the bases—complex white flowers nose, white and stone fruits, creamy mouthfeel, slight oiliness. Impressive complexity, balance, and length for wine at this price point. Clearly a QPR winner. $13-15
Pairing—Nicely works as an aperitif; with a ceviche combining sweet and salty ingredients. Grilled lobster with garlic butter, seared scallops with citrus dressing, pan-fried salmon, halibut with apricot glaze; will pair with almost all seafood dishes. Roasted chicken with apricot glaze, chicken piccata, lemon-infused grilled chicken, roast turkey, duck à l’orange; pork tenderloin with peach chutney. Asian cuisine, mild creamy curries and kormas, Pad Thai, spicy noodle dishes, Thai cuisine in general. Butternut squash ravioli, sweet corn risotto, carrot-ginger soup, roasted root vegetables with honey and thyme. Cheese—Goat cheeses, fresh chèvre, Chabichou du Poitou, herbed goat cheese; brie, camembert, triple cream cheese (Délice de Bourgogne, Brillat-Savarin), La Tur; both young and aged gouda, manchego, emmental, gruyère, jarlsberg, monerey jack, edam, colby.
