On offer today in our Sunday sale release is a winery which is known the world over. Founded in 1834 by Antoine Jaboulet, the Jaboulet Aine brand quickly established itself as a producer of exceptional quality syrah based wines, and a beacon for the quality that the Northern Rhone possesses. The Flagship wine of the estate is the Hermitage La Chapelle, named after the small Saint Christophe chapel that overlooks the vineyards on top of Hermitage hill. The place itself is steeped in historical heritage stemming all the way back to the Albigensian Crusades. As the legend goes, a knight named Gaspard de Stérimberg returned home wounded in 1224 from the crusades and was granted permission  to build a small shelter to recover in on the hill, where he remained living as a hermit.… Read the rest

 

You saw the title and now you’re upset. You have every right to be. But I just want you to know that it’s much harder than you think to come up with a tag line that works with Tempier. Btw for those that have always read it as “temp” like in “temperature”…..hate to break it to you….but it’s pronounced “tahhmp”.

There are few producers and wines that have been written about so passionately and fervently. The love affair that Kermit Lynch acquired for this domaine is the stuff of legend and a seriously long chapter within Adventures on the Wine Route. The Peyraud family and the timeless impression of the quieter France they embody are perhaps what so many romantic wine drinkers are searcher for every time they pour and raise a glass.… Read the rest

We’re all familiar with the grenache based wines of Southern France. In fact, I’d imagine this is the first place that the wine nerd’s brain descends upon when discussing grenache as a varietal and the styles of wine we feel are emblematic of it. But this is actually not the grape’s true place of heritage! Ampelographical evidence suggests that the grape was first born in Spain’s Northeastern regions of Aragon & Catalonia, where seed remains of Garnacha have been carbon dated back to 153 BC. This predates written records in Europe. It was in the 1300s onwards that the grape began to expand its presence, taking root in outher parts of Southern Europe like Sardinia, Greece, and France.

Tasting a grape from its place of origin brings a sense of enormity and significance that cannot be replicated.… Read the rest