2017 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Secret de Famille Côtes-du-Rhône 750 ml

Paul Jaboulet Aîné might be a Hermitage collector icon, but their stellar vineyard sources stretch deep into the Southern Rhône—and those sites produced a wine that inspired us to move mountains. The 2017 Jaboulet Secret de Famille Côtes-du-Rhône is one of our most incredible red values of the year—and maybe ever. 

We were told in person, on the phone, and via email that the Secret de Famille never leaves Europe, but we were undeterred. That’s how determined we were to bring it to our members, and we’re thrilled to share it today.

The first swirl and sniff of Secret de Famille reveals exactly what makes it a must-have: Bold and complex aromas of black raspberry, wild strawberry, garrigue, cracked peppercorn, fennel, and smoked meat won’t have you thinking of under-$20 Côtes-du-Rhône, but of top Southern Rhône AOCs that go for twice as much. Gigondas and Vacqueyras were swirling through our heads the whole time, as the red and black fruit flavors evolved toward savory smoke, dried herbs, and spice, and the chewy tannins and warm finish faded on our palate.  

This is the perfect wine to have on hand in bulk year-round. It’s a legendary house’s secret Rhône value, priced to pop without even a hint of hesitation. 

We discovered this wine on our summer 2019 trip to the Northern Rhône. We were at Le Vineum, the wine bar that belongs to iconic producer Paul Jaboulet Aîné, and had just finished small pours of their stately Hermitage and Les Cèdres Châteauneuf-du-Pape. As we lingered, our hosts poured us full glasses of the Secret de Famille to go with our meal, and even after their marquee wines, the Grenache-based blend left us impressed. But when we inquired about adding it to our order, we were politely informed that the wine wasn’t exported to the US. 

Of course we weren’t satisfied with that, but our calls and emails yielded nothing—until recently, when we got a call from Adrien Laurent from Jaboulet. He hadn’t forgotten our enthusiasm, and in this upside-down year, he told us, a small amount of Secret de Famille that had been bound for Germany and Holland came available. Would we be interested?

Needless to say, we jumped at the chance, claiming every case of this never-imported bottle that we could. 

The Secret de Famille is the culmination of proprietor and winemaker Caroline Frey’s in-depth exploration of the Jaboulet family’s history. When her family purchased the famed house in 2006, she went over notes and records dating back over a century, and decided to honor the winery’s heritage with a traditional Southern Rhône blend. She sourced from 35-year-old vines, opting for a concrete fermentation to maintain the fruit focus, an extended maceration to give a balancing grip to the tannins, and an oak foudre aging treatment to develop and accentuate the wine’s smoky notes. 

The result is a Côtes-du-Rhône (mainly Grenache, beefed up with 40% Syrah) that delivers far more muscularity and depth than most at this price. We’re thrilled to bring it to the US, and invite you to celebrate with a case of your own.