Jaboulet Domaine De Roure 2022

Domaine Paul Jaboulet Aîné has worked the northern Rhône for close to two centuries, and Domaine de Roure is its Crozes-Hermitage, made from one hundred per cent Syrah farmed biodynamically. Crozes-Hermitage spreads across the gentler terrain around the Hermitage hill, where stony alluvial terraces and pockets of granite and clay drain freely and reflect heat back into the canopy, ripening Syrah fully while the continental climate keeps nights cool and acidity firm. Syrah on these soils gives the grape's signature black pepper, picked up from the rotundone compound in the skins, alongside dark berry fruit and a savoury, almost meaty depth. Barrel ageing softens the tannins and adds a smoky, leathery layer through slow contact with oxygen and wood. Biodynamic farming, with no synthetic inputs, is intended to express the site cleanly. The wine pours a deep purple, with a nose of raspberry, plum, cracked pepper and olive, and a palate that is fleshy and savoury, carrying dried herbs and a smoky finish supported by fine tannins. Serve at 16 to 18 degrees, ideally decanted. It suits grilled lamb, beef and game.