Mule Noire
⏳ Drinking Window
2023 - 2028
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Roasted lamb with herbs, grilled beef ribeye, or earthy mushroom risotto.
✨ Technical Specifications
Named in honor of the sturdy black mules ('mules noires') that historically labored alongside vignerons on the steep, stony terraces of the Rhône Valley, Paul Jaboulet Aîné's 'Mule Noire' is a classic expression of Crozes-Hermitage. Crafted from 100% Syrah, this wine is sourced from vineyards characterized by alluvial soils, shingles, and gravel. The grapes undergo traditional fermentation followed by aging in oak barrels to marry the grape's natural, vibrant dark fruit and floral notes with a subtle, structured complexity. This cuvée celebrates the deep-rooted agricultural heritage of the region, delivering a profile rich in blackberries, cracked black pepper, and violets, underpinned by a refined mineral backbone.
🍾 About the Producer
Established in 1834 by Antoine Jaboulet on the sun-drenched granite slopes of Tain-l'Hermitage, Maison Paul Jaboulet Aîné stands as one of the Rhône Valley's most storied viticultural estates. Acquired in 2006 by the Frey family, the domain experienced a profound renaissance under the stewardship of master oenologist and viticulturist Caroline Frey, who converted its extensive Northern Rhône holdings to certified organic viticulture alongside rigorous biodynamic regimens. While globally renowned for its legendary Hermitage reds like La Chapelle, the estate crafts equally sublime white wines from premier terroirs spanning Hermitage, Crozes-Hermitage, Condrieu, and the Southern Rhône. Here, Marsanne, Roussanne, Viognier, and Grenache Blanc are harvested at meticulous phenolic maturity from complex alluvial pebbles, loess, and fractured granitic soils. Vinified with gentle gravity flow, temperature-regulated fermentation, and judicious French oak contact on fine lees, Jaboulet whites—exemplified by Chevalier de Stérimberg, Domaine de Thalabert Mule Blanche, and Les Jalets Blanc—deliver exceptional minerality, textural waxiness, and refined age-worthy precision.
🍇 Grapes
Syrah (min 90%)