Try this great Rhône!

Here's a nice wine from right in the middle of the Sweet Spot. Not only is the price great, but it comes from a region loaded with great value wines, the Rhône. Why bother with the immature, or hastily made Bordeaux available under £20 when you can get a real beauty from the Rhône. One of my favourite wines for regular drinking, especially as accompaniment to a nice juicy steak or barbecue, is this 2008 Crozes-Hermitage from Paul Jaboulet-Aîné.

A bit of background to the wines of Crozes-Hermitage; they are always made from Syrah (sometimes with a bit of white grapes Marsanne and Rousanne in the blend but I don't think this one has any), and in their youth they have a gorgeous nose of dry roasted black peppercorns. They are usually drunk young as their big brother, Hermitage usually ages more gracefully,but a couple of years brings out some amazing aromas of green olives, brine and sea-breezes. A friend of mine said rock-pools as a tasting note for Crozes-Hermitage and it was definitely a good call.

This wine is super classic Northern Rhône. It has all the big black pepper you could want, but it doesn't dominate. There is a lot of great complexity, with some lovely red currants and black cherries, with those aged aromas of brine, olives and rock pool coming through. There's a bit of a sea breeze coming in as well carrying with it some floral fragrances. Apparently the smell of violets is standard in Rhône Syrah, but as I think about it, I've never properly smelled a violet... What kind of person has never smelled a violet? Seriously!

The palate is toasty and dry with all that pepper hanging around but mingling well with the tannins, acidity, fruit flavours and other spices, making for an elegant example of the Northern Rhône. Pair it with a nice steak, some barbecued pork or some nice slow roasted lamb. All in all, it's a really great food wine, and it can be thought of as another ingredient to the meal, almost like a condiment you put directly in your mouth rather than on the food. Give it a go sometime!

Much love, G

Paul Jaboulet-Aîné
Crozes-Hermitage
2008 Les Jalets
About £14-£15