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Frey's first vintage with full control, the ruby-colored 2007 Hermitage la Chapelle offers a forward, supple and sexy feel to go with plenty of cassis, black raspberry, jam-covered toast, honeysuckle and vanilla bean. Medium to full-bodied, open knit and ready to go, it shows the charming nature of the vintage and should be drunk up over the coming decade or so. Comparing the 2006 and 2007 to subsequent vintages where Frey had more and more control over the farming are night and day.

Tasted at Liberty’s Annual Jaboulet tasting. The tank sample of the La Chapelle ’07 bodes well for the Frey’s tenure at this famous estate because this is a vast improvement over the ’06. Much more purpose and intensity on the nose with baked cherry, black olive, saddle-leather and black pepper. The palate is full-bodied with firm backbone (missing in the previous year), assertive fruit of blackberry, cassis and autumnal sous-bois. Very fine. Tasted November 2008.

The 2007 Hermitage La Chapelle is far superior. It possesses a dense ruby/purple color as well as supple creme de cassis notes intermixed with licorice, smoke, earth, and a hint of acacia flowers. Elegant, medium to full-bodied and pretty, it is reminiscent of the 1997. (Not yet released) I have previously documented the decline in quality at this estate following the tragic death of Gerard Jaboulet. That ended in the unexpected sale of Paul Jaboulet-Aine to the Frey family that has done such brilliant work at Bordeaux’s Chateau La Lagune, and are major shareholders in the superb Champagne house of Billecart-Salmon. No doubt they will resurrect the reputation and the quality of the Jaboulet wines, as this was the leading estate in the northern Rhone during the sixties, seventies, and eighties. The Freys have already made some dramatic changes, moving toward eliminating the negociant line of wines, and concentrating exclusively on estate bottled offerings. They own over 120 acres in the northern Rhone as well as 14+ acres in the southern Rhone. The following offerings reflect the recent changes and a work in progress, with the 2006s still under-performing (the Frey family was not in a position to do much in that vintage). The 2007s are clearly better, and I believe that in a few years, when the northern Rhone has its next great vintage, consumers will see a dramatic increase in quality as the new owners have already brought in the world-famous oenologist, Professor Denis Dubourdieu as a consultant. Any readers who have some of the old vintages of Crozes-Hermitage Domaine de Thalabert in their cellars should be checking them out. The 1978 and 1990 are still brilliant wines, but neither the 2006 or the 2007 will invoke memories of those wines. Importer: Frederick Wildman, New York, NY; tel. (212) 355-0700

From The Wine Society's cellar. The Frey family arrived at Jaboulet in 2006 but Jean-Jacques Frey insisted that 2005 be racked into casks from Château Lagune (their Bordeaux property). 2006 was still made by Laurent Jaboulet and this is the first vintage made by Caroline Frey, who started off with a lot of new oak, using bordeaux barrels. Eventually, according to long-time Rhône buyer for The Wine Society, Marcel Orford-Williams, she was told by two eminent local winegrowers that these wines do not work in bordeaux barrels, so they started buying barrels from Burgundy (where the Freys own Corton-Grancey). Magnum, new label. Deep garnet. Oaky aroma with a touch of vanilla. Overwhelmed by new-oak sweetness. No real sense of place. Chewy, spicy black fruit. (JH)