Jaboulet Crozes Hermitage Domaine Mule Blanche 2016
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Product Details
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Vines grown on a rock debris from the river L’Isère, with a small base of clay and limestone. Allows for great draining which is ideal for proper maturation of Marsanne and Roussanne
Blend: 50% Marsanne, 50% Roussanne
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Bright, with white peach, chamomile and yellow apple skin notes racing through. Shows a light verbena note on the finish, along with a kiss of brioche. Well done. Drink now through 2021.
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James Suckling
Equal parts marsanne and roussanne. This has a very fresh lemon, pear and apple fruit nose with a powerful, textural and commanding palate. There is a pleasing freshness to this with the marsanne driving the wine. Drink now.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A 50-50 blend of Marsanne and Roussanne from Chassis, in the heart of the appellation, the 2016 Crozes Hermitage Domaine Mule Blanche is forward and fresh, marked by toasted-grain notes and pineapple fruit. There’s ample weight and concentration in this medium-bodied white, which should live a reasonable length of time for a white Crozes.
Other Vintages
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Dunnuck
Jeb
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Robert
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Wine
Paul Jaboulet Aîné has been a trend-setting grower and shipper in the Rhône since 1834. The Jaboulet company was founded by Antoine Jaboulet, and his twin sons, Paul and Henri continued to expand the family business. The elder son ("aîné" in French), Paul, established the company in its present form and gave it his own name. Since then, the company has been run by successive generations of sons from that side of the Jaboulet family.
The House of Paul Jaboulet Aîné is one of the Rhône’s most recognizable wineries. The reputation of Jaboulet wines rests on the quality of the well-situated and well-tended vineyards, on low yields, careful vinification, and diligent aging in oak casks. The Jaboulet family prefers carefully integrated oak aging, in which the influence of wood is never allowed to become excessive. Since this is an important point, they have their own cooper who makes and maintains their stock of barrels.
Jaboulet wines symbolize robustness and elegance, essential qualities of great wines. Their crown jewel is their Hermitage "La Chapelle" which Clive Coates states "is one of the great red wines of the world." Thomas Matthews of Wine Spectator has singled out Jaboulet as a producer which "offers reliable wines across the entire range of appellations (in the northern and southern Rhône)."
Full-bodied and flavorful, white Rhône blends originate from France’s Rhône Valley. Today these blends are also becoming popular in other regions. Typically some combination of Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Roussanne and Viognier form the basis of a white Rhône blend with varying degrees of flexibility depending on the exact appellation. Somm Secret—In the Northern Rhône, blends of Marsanne and Roussanne are common but the south retains more variety. Marsanne, Roussanne as well as Bourboulenc, Clairette, Picpoul and Ugni Blanc are typical.
Crozes-Hermitage is Northern Rhone’s largest appellation, surrounding the steep granite faces of Hermitage to its north and south. Here the rolling vineyards are less extreme and its soils, rich in clay-limestone and alluvial matter, produce Syrahs that range from fruity and charming to lush and seductive. The Syrahs of Crozes-Hermitage have more mass than those from St. Joseph but are less intense than those from Hermitage. While many are intended for early consumption, some of the best Syrahs from Crozes-Hermitage will age beautifully for 5-10 years.
Up to 15% of white grapes may theoretically be added to red Crozes at the time of fermentation but whether this is done or not depends on the decision of the winemaker. The best Crozes-Hermitage Syrahs will be fleshy with black fruit (currant, blackberry and black cherry) and bay leaf qualities, notes of tar and stone, and a well-concentrated finish of smooth tannins.
About a tenth of the wine produced in Crozes-Hermitage is white, primarily composed of Marsanne supplemented by smaller amounts of Roussanne.