Paul Jaboulet Muscat Beaune de Venise 2006 - A Great Find

We started our journey to find well priced and interesting selections for holiday wines about two months ago and quickly discovered this wine quite by accident. All of the members of our tasting team have differing views about what is a great dessert wine so the fact that we got immediate consensus that this was an important addition to our portfolio was exciting to us.

The name Paul Jaboulet is typically associated with fine red wines from the Rhone Valley.

The website http://www.jaboulet.com/Website/site/eng_lamaisonjaboulet_lheritage.htm tells us that for nearly two hundred years, the hillsides of Hermitage have jealously guarded the secret of a meeting that was to be the start of an extraordinary story…

In 1834, Antoine Jaboulet (1807 - 1864) started working the land in this region thereby linking his destiny with that of this fertile terroir. By dint of hard work and passion, his vines were to provide him with a wine of exceptional quality, to be perpetuated by his sons, Paul and Henri. It was Paul who then gave his name to the business. Since then, the generations have continued to succeed one another.

The Frey family, longstanding winemakers in Champagne and owners of Château La Lagune in Bordeaux, acquired Maison Paul Jaboulet Aîné in January 2006, thus adding to its portfolio of prestigious names. Nicolas and Frédéric Jaboulet, together with Frédéric Mairesse, the new director, share the Frey family’s passion for excellence.

La Chapelle, which is situated on the hillside of l’Hermitage, looks out over the Rhône Valley. During the 13th century, the Chevalier de Stérimberg made it his home on his return from the crusades.  Later still, it became the source of the family’s flagship wine, l’Hermitage La Chapelle.  The 1961 vintage would be classed among the Twelve mythical bottles of the 20th century, and a small number of bottles and magnums are still kept by Jaboulet and in a few cellars elsewhere in the world…

For nearly two centuries, Jaboulet has been producing wines that represent generations of hard work and a passion for excellence.  In order to perpetuate these values, Jaboulet adheres to an unswerving commitment to improving vineyards, through strategic acquisitions and work in the cellars, while respecting the environment at the same time. This is why Maison Paul Jaboulet Aîné has ISO 9001 and 14001 certification pending and why it is using sustainable agriculture

About the Muscat Beaune de Venise

Pliny the Elder refered to this wine in his “Natural History”, but it was not until the 17th century that it was to become famous through the importation of the muscat grape variety, from which the Vin Doux Naturel is made (AOC since 1945).

Sandy marl soil to the south and argilo-calcareous to the north. The wine is made from the small berried muscat grape from 35 year old vines.

The vinifaction is direct pressing of grapes harvested by successive passes with a minimum natural sugar content of 252g/l , a cold fermentation takes place on the fine lees in stainless steel tanks until at 11% residual sugar remaining, it is stopped by the addition of neutral alcohol (mutage). The wine is aged in stainless steel tanks and in the bottle.

This bottle shows wine with a light and clear golden colour with attractive brightness. The bouquet of white peach, quince and exotic fruit aromas (I detected a hint of lychee) with a final note of honey and candied fruit and some wood. Sipping the wine one will experience a full and fresh taste - surprising due to the lightness of color - with final warm, rich notes of candied fruit.

I loved the website's suggestion to drink as an apéritif - perhaps with my new favorite nibble fig and carmelized onion pizza - or with iced melon with muscat. Being that I usually serve sorbets at dessert this would be a great pairing. Serve fully chilled.

For those of you who are dreading heavy sweet desserts on Thanksgiving this certainly would be a great end to a perfect meal. BTW, the new owners include Caroline Frey who is one of my favorite people.

The wine is available at our store Wine Valet at Two Rodeo Drive www.wine-valet.com at $23 for a 375 btl.

-By Julie Brosterman