Old names build new face in the Rhone

Launching a new wine brand is always an exciting but tricky enterprise; but seeking to build an image in a region as established as the Rhône imposes an extra layer of challenge and outside speculation.

This is precisely the task confronting Maison Nicolas Perrin, a joint venture between the Perrin family of Beaucastel fame and Nicolas Jaboulet, surely one of the more resonant surnames in the northern Rhône.

Not that this offers much of a brand-building advantage: for legal reasons the name Jaboulet can only appear tucked away in the small print on the back label.

Although there has been a long-standing friendship between the two families, this business partnership was only born in spring 2009, when Jaboulet decided to move on from his own family firm.

“We thought it could be time to do something together,” he recalls, explaining of Perrin: “I love their philosophy. They try to make wines that go with food – they even have their own restaurant – and they’re not wines you necessarily need to wait 10-15 years before you can drink.”

Jaboulet describes Perrin, which takes responsibility for cellaring, bottling and shipping the wine as “the big technical partner”, while explaining his own role as “more the face behind the project”, fostering relationships with growers and building a client base for this new brand.

Having released its first wines just last year, Nicolas Perrin has already built UK listings through agent Pol Roger UK with partners including The Wine Society, Berry Bros. and Taurus Wines. Further afield, the brand is busy building a customer base in the US and mature Asian markets of Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore.

This rapid early progress is no doubt helped by the 12 years spent by Jaboulet in an export role for his family business. “I’m convinced that Asia and Asian food are great for the future of wine,” he says. “They have a real culture of gastronomy.” On the down side though, Jaboulet notes: “The problem is tax in some countries like India and Thailand; it stops the development of business.”

Despite the advantages offered by his export background, Jaboulet is clearly relishing the involvement he now has on the production side. He describes the role of Nicolas Perrin as very much a négociant-eleveur, purchasing the wines as early as possible after malolactic fermentation, then nurturing them until they reach the far end of the supply chain.

For the moment, the priority has been to identify key parcels of land in the northern Rhône, such as the Plan de Chassis in Hermitage, and then approach roughly three producers in those areas to buy some barrels from which Nicolas Perrin creates its own unique blend.

Jaboulet has a clear vision for the second phase in this partnership’s development, saying, “I would love to buy some vineyards; it’s just a case now of looking for the right opportunity.” Despite, or precisely because of Perrin’s base in the southern Rhône, Jaboulet asserts that this new project will remain exclusively northern in focus. “It has to be complementary to Perrin and the northern Rhône is a lovely appellation, there’s enough to do there.”

The 2010 vintage will see Nicolas Perrin supply its own barrels to the growers’ cellars, thereby avoiding the need to disturb the wines too much when they are transferred into the company’s care for the final stages of their development. Jaboulet explains: “We will try more and more to control the vinification, but at the same time the philosophy of the project is to blend the different styles of our growers and leave that personality in our wine.”

To begin with, Nicolas Perrin has released a 4-strong range: ’07 reds from St Joseph, Côte Rôtie and Hermitage, from where the company has also produced an ’08 white Roussanne/Marsanne blend. Next year it will add Cornas, Condrieu and Crozes-Hermitage to this portfolio.

With all the tweaks, developments and additions planned for future vintages, the promising quality and character of the debut wines looks set to become yet more pronounced.

For the moment, Jaboulet is clearly relishing the demands of his busy schedule. “It’s lovely to launch a brand and create something new”, he beams, “People are curious because they love Perrin wines and I’ve been in the trade for 16 years.”

Certainly the progress of Nicolas Perrin offers an intriguing glimpse of the next generation making its mark on this illustrious corner of the Old World.

Gabriel Savage, 01.07.2010