94-97
Joe Czerwinski - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
"Jaboulet's 2017 Hermitage Blanc Le Chevalier de Sterimberg is approximately two-thirds Marsanne and one-third Roussanne. Subtle notes of crushed stone and pencil shavings frame honey, pineapple and baking spices, all wrapped around a tensile core of tangerine and lime. In a year when no La Chapelle Blanc is being made, this is the top white Hermitage from Jaboulet, and it's a beauty, with a silky texture and a long, mouthwatering finish.
The charming Caroline Frey was all smiles during my visit to the Jaboulet tasting room on the main square in Tain l'Hermitage. Her Burgundy vintage was complete and very promising. And even though severe hail damage at Château La Lagune in Bordeaux resulted in no grapes being harvested there this year, it meant she could focus all her energy on the 2018s in the Rhône. We started off with the 2016s. "Hopefully, we will still have years like this," she said. "It's a vintage with more length. I like it!" There's no doubt the 2016s are successful here, but in many instances the 2017s look even better. "I'm always a little afraid of hot vintages," she said. "But I find a balance in this one." The proof is in the pudding: Some of the 2017s are the best I've ever tasted at this address."
93-94 James Suckling - Jamessuckling.com
"A composed and refined Hermitage with fresh, pear and apple aromas, as well as pastry-like, savory complexity. Plenty of interest here. The palate has a bright, tangy core of acidity and a nice, fine presence of cool apples, pears and white melon. Light, pastry notes to close. From organically grown grapes."
94 Jeb Dunnuck - jebdunnuck.com
"Brought up just like the Crozes Hermitage Blanc, the 2017 Hermitage Chevalier De Steimberg Blanc is a slightly more Marsanne-dominated effort that offers more minerality and well as reserved notes of spice citrus, crushed rocks, and hints of tangerine. Ultra-pure, seamless, and silky on the palate, it has a beautiful mid-palate as well as a great finish. Purity, freshness, and focus are the buzzwords here."
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. Frédéric Jaboulet shares the Frey family’s passion for excellence.
During the 13th century, the Knight Gaspard de Sterimberg made it his home on his return from the Crusades. This cuvée pays tribute
to the Knight, harmed during the Crusades in 1224.
70% Marsanne, 30% Roussanne, mainly from La Croix, Rocoules, Maison Blanche vineyards. The oldest Marsanne vines date to the 1900s, boasting soils that range from Clay-limestone to sand-rocky soil on steep slopes." --Winery
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