In 1834, when Antoine Jaboulet set up his business in Tain l’Hermitage with the aim of producing great wines, he saw his future profession as cultivating these vineyards and maintaining the quality of the land. It was with this mindset that he quickly acquired his first vineyards on the Hermitage slopes and the Crozes Hermitage plains.
In 2006, the Freys (owners of Chateau La Lagune in Bordeaux) took over Paul Jaboulet Aine, where winemaker Caroline now works with her teams in a single-minded quest for perfection; combining cutting-edge winemaking with the scrupulous care given to vines grown in exceptional terroirs. They have since also acquired vineyards in the appellations of Cote Rotie, Condrieu and Crozes Hermitage, including some of the most famous plots in the entire Rhone. All estates are now certified organic and the team broadly follow biodynamic principles.
In 2021, Jaboulet was awarded the Drinks Business Green Award for Biodiversity, for their continued efforts to increase and preserve the local biodiversity in their vineyards. They have established a gentle viticulture that
respects nature and encourages the interaction of all organisms.
Jaboulet’s most celebrated wine is its famed Hermitage La Chapelle, named after the chapel that overlooks this most celebrated of vineyards. Jaboulet have owned the chapel since the end of the First World War – it’s an icon of this part of the Rhone Valley and marks where the best vines are grown.
Read our interview with winemaker, Caroline Frey here.
