Who makes it
After the sale of Maison Paul Jaboulet Aîné, Philippe Jaboulet founded Domaine Philippe et Vincent Jaboulet in 2006. He had spent more than 25 years at the Maison managing vineyards and purchasing grapes. His son Vincent gained harvest experience at Joseph Drouhin in Burgundy, Château de Beaucastel and Delas in the Rhône Valley.
The domaine works from Mercurol with Syrah for red wines and Marsanne and Roussane for whites. Its range includes Crozes-Hermitage and Hermitage wines, with bottles that move from the home appellation to named Hermitage vineyard sites.
Where it grows
Mercurol sits in the heart of the Crozes-Hermitage appellation. The surrounding ground has thick layers of rolled pebbles mixed with red clay, across relatively flat reliefs. Rolled pebbles drain quickly and store warmth, while red clay holds moisture between periods of rain. For Syrah, that combination helps the vines ripen while reducing the risk of dry conditions stopping growth.
What they make
The red range includes Nouvelère Crozes-Hermitage, red Hermitage from the Les Dionnières lieu-dit, and a Syrah bottled under VdP des Collines Rhodaniennes. White Hermitage is made from 100 percent Roussane. Light filtration takes place before bottling.
Nouvelère is a Crozes-Hermitage red, while the Hermitage wines narrow the address to a named vineyard or a single white grape. The range therefore moves from an appellation wine to more specific Hermitage expressions without leaving the Rhône varieties that define the domaine.