The turnaround that the Frey family has engineered at the legendary Paul Jaboulet Ainé estate has been nothing but remarkable.

At the tail end of the Jaboulet family’s run of the property things were going awry. A combination of failing health, lean years, the death of Gerard Jaboulet in 1997 and, from what we tasted, an obvious dip in the quality of the wines, made the restoration operation undertaken by Caroline Frey that much more difficult.

But from both a wine and vineyard standpoint, she has succeeded. The wines now are as good as they were in the halcyon days of the late 80’s and early 90’s, with extreme work happening in the vineyard and winery. The lessons she learned during the family’s restoration of Chateau La Lagune in Bordeaux’s Haut-Medoc certainly paid dividends here at Jaboulet.

That being said, the winery seems to have started a new chapter in their renaissance. Best that I can tell, the winery has abandoned their southern Rhone bottlings, at least here in America! No more Chateauneuf or Gigondas. Crazy, right? Now, this is not info coming from the domaine per se, just us doing some fact-based speculation. But an extensive search of their website (perhaps a US version based on search location) turned up no southern Rhone offerings. Which is strange if they still make them, but no longer offer them or talk about them?

Paul Jaboulet Ainé Gigondas Pierre Aiguille 2018

Attractive notes of red and black cherries, dried herbs, new leather, and a touch of loamy soil emerge from the 2018 Gigondas Pierre Aiguille. Medium-bodied, it has a supple, elegant texture, ripe tannins, and a great finish. Enjoy this classic Provençal Gigondas over the coming 8-10 years. - Jeb Dunnuck

Pierre Aiguille is named for the erosion-worn mountain that shelters the vineyards that are planted on east-facing terraces below the jagged Dentelles.