Domaines Paul Jaboulet Aîné was founded in The Rhone Valley in 1834 in the town of Tain L'Hermitage by Antoine Jaboulet and his sons, Paul and Henry. In 1919 they acquired the very famous Saint-Christophe chapel at the top of the renowned Hermitage vineyard. You'll have likely seen this crop up in pictures of Rhone vineyards without realising it! With the death of Gerard Jaboulet in 1997, the house saw its fortunes fall as the family business fell into disarray and the wine went downhill. It was…

Dark Horse is an award-winning Californian wine brand with a reputation that matches up to its wines. Their combination of traditional winemaking techniques with the latest winery equipment helps make their wine so good, and so popular. Behind the wines is winemaker Beth Liston, who set out to make an affordable wine that could acheive genuine quality. In a market full of mass-produced wines, this is an impressive feat to undertake. And one that they have managed. Dark Horse boasts enough medals…

This has been a remarkably long time coming but the time to reminisce about two of the excellent Rhone Valley producers I visited in May 2024 has come. It was partly spurred by finding the Ferraton La Matinière Crozes-Hermitage on a restaurant menu recently, which was unfortunately out of stock! Still, at least you can get hold of it for a good price from retailers. But, the real thing you are here for, presumably, is the tour exploring Ferraton and Domaine Farge, the famous hills of Hermitage…