Jaboulet Crozes Hermitage 2004

By mthomas

I managed to bluetooth this pic from my new  phone. I am not a great photographer or a  technophile so am pleased the experiment worked  and will use this approach in future (and hopefully  refine my  photography). I would like to blog more  frequently  and guess the key to this will be  improving my use  of ICT so that I am more  adept. I  often don’t blog  on tastings and research papers because of time constraints. I am also keen that it does not become a blog about mundanities of my life or an ego trip along the line of some of blogs out there…

I opened a bottle of Jaboulet Crozes Hermitage Domaine de Thalabert 2004 to accompany a double rack of lamb (badly butchered by me from a lamb swapped with the farmer for a sack of scallops – long story). It was really aromatic and full of herbs (rosemary) and spices that worked really well with the meat. Some slightly woody and eucalyptus notes eased off as it opened up and the 100% Syrah fruitiness shone through. I think the 04s are really good at the moment and offer a lot of value. The Rhone has produced good wine in just about every year (apart from the catastrophic 2002) since the late 90s and you can do a lot worse than the 04s until the 01s and 05s are ready to drink. Even better, pick up some bargain 98s and 99s that have mellowed over the last decade.

“The Crozes Hermitage vineyard is the largest of all the northern Rhône Valley Appellations. It extends over 11 communes situated in the Drôme, on the left bank of the Rhône. The Domaine de Thalabert has belonged to the Maison Paul Jaboulet Aîné since 1834. It is situated on the plain, and is the oldest in the Appellation”  For more about their wines and the Rhone have a look at their website which is well-organised and informative.