Sunday, September 22, 2019

Paul Jaboulet Domaine de Thalabert Crozes-Hermitage, 1983

1983 Paul Jaboulet Aine Crozes-Hermitage Domaine de ThalabertOpened for my son's 36th birthday, this is a wine that has aged every bit as admirably as he has. He appreciated it and so did I.

Deep ruby with minimal bricking for a wine that is in its 36th year. Lots of crusty sediment and a cork that was difficult to remove, but all that was resolved through careful decanting. Black olives, currants and black pepper on the nose. Incredible presence on the palate. Deep, concentrated and just keeps on singing. Great acid structure plus tannin and remarkably pure Syrah fruit. This is better than any Hermitage I have ever had. But that has generally been my experience with Domaine Thalabert.

I'm not sure how Jaboulet's 1983 Hermitage la Chapelle is showing right now. I bought a case but sold most of it prematurely. Robert Parker downgraded the 1983 Northern Rhones because of excessive tannins that he thought would outlive the fruit. As far as I am concerned, he was dead wrong.

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