2015 Paul Jaboulet Aine, Hermitage, La Maison Bleue 6x75cl

Decanter – 96

2015 is the first vintage of this cuvée, which replaces the Petite Chapelle. There’s a certain meaty aspect to the nose, a savoury note that brings aged Pinot Noir to mind. It has a minty freshness, crisp and well-defined with a fine acid thread. A medium-bodied, balanced and contemporary expression of Hermitage. [16/06/2019]

Anticipated maturity: 2019-2030

Vinous – 95

Opaque purple. Powerful, highly complex aromas of red/blue fruit preserves, licorice, olive paste and potpourri carry a sexy floral overtone. Coats the palate with intense black and blue fruit and spicecake flavors; a sappy violet pastille nuance gains strength with air and lends an exotic touch. Velvety, even tannins shape an impressively long, chewy, mineral-accented finish that shows outstanding power and spicy thrust. [Josh Raynolds, 18/04/2018]

Anticipated maturity: 2027-2035

John Gilman – 93

This was the first vintage I have tasted of the Hermitage “la Maison Bleu” bottling from Paul Jaboulet Âiné, which hails primarily from the lieu à dit of Rocoules on the hill of Hermitage. The soils here are more sandy than in many of the other parcels on the hill, allowing for a slightly more feminine and accessible expression of Hermitage, though with vines that range from forty to sixty-five years of age, there is also plenty of stuffing for long-term aging as well. Caroline Frey raises this bottling in twenty percent new oak. The 2015 Maison Bleu is excellent, delivering a deep, vibrant and quite complex bouquet of black raspberries, smoked meats, pepper, lovely soil tones, dark chocolate, a discrete base of new oak and a whisper of balsam bough in the upper register. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, ripe and beautifully balanced, with a plush core, plenty of soil signature, well-integrated, suave tannins, precise focus and excellent length and grip on the complex and very energetic finish. This is superb Hermitage. [01/02/2018]

Anticipated maturity: 2025-2075