Hermitage La Maison Bleue Jaboulet 2017

Paul Jaboulet Ainé is one of the most highly acclaimed producers of the Northern Rhône and is renowned for their incredible wines made from the famous hillside vineyard of Hermitage. La Maison Bleue, formerly known as La Petit Chapelle, is different to their flagship Hermitage as the Syrah fruit is sourced from plots on the eastern part of the vineyard and it tends to have greater finesse, marginally less power and an earlier drinking window. 2017 was a superb vintage and this is a sensational release, offering generous amounts of fruit but exceptional balance of tannin and acidity. This is a brilliant wine straight out of the blocks but has enough depth and complexity to age further.