Wine of the Week: 2009 Paul Jaboulet Ainé Crozes Hermitage ‘Les Jalets’

I opened this bottle, poured out a glass of the deep garnet Syrah and got a whiff of sun-baked hillside, dark berries and wild herbs. The taste is redolent of spice and blackberries, smoke and something brambly and wild. A close but less glamorous cousin of Hermitage, the 2009 Crozes Hermitage “Les Jalets” from Jaboulet is made from 25-year-old vines. The grapes come mostly from “Les Jalets” vineyard, named after the old French word for the pebbles left by Alpine glaciers.

FOR THE RECORD:
Wine of the Week: In the April 20 Saturday section, the Wine of the Week review of the 2009 Paul Jaboulet Aine Crozes Hermitage “Les Jalets” gave an incorrect phone number for Monopole Wine in Pasadena. The correct number is (626) 577-9463. —

This is a Crozes Hermitage that can stand up to grilled meats. Skip the heavy barbecue sauce, though. I love it with Provencal-style daube of beef with black olives. Butterflied leg of lamb would be a fine match too.

Region: Northern Rhone Valley, France

Price: $20 to $23

Style: Rich and full-bodied

What it goes with: Grilled meats, daubes and stews

Where to find it: BestWinesOnline.com, (888) 817-8880, https://www.bestwinesonline.com; Mission Wine & Spirits in Pasadena, (626) 794-7026, and Glendale, (818) 242-0683, https://www.missionwineandspirits.com; Monopole Wine in Pasadena, (626) 577-9463, https://www.monopolewine.com; Remedy Liquor in La Cañada-Flintridge, (818) 790-0078, https://www.remedyliquor.com; Spectrum Wine Retail in Irvine, (949)748-4845, https://www.spectrumwineretail.com; and the Wine House in West Los Angeles, (310) 479-3731, https://www.winehouse.com.

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