Nicolas Perrin embraces Vin de France

Nicolas Perrin is due to launch a Syrah/Viognier blend under the recently introduced Vin de France designation, with the Northern Rhône négociant also confirming its first vineyard purchase.

Nicolas Jaboulet

Produced using grapes from three regions: Collines Rhodaniennes, Coteaux de l’Ardeche and Vin de Pays de la Drôme, the new wine has already been launched in the US and is due to arrive in the UK in a few months time. This first vintage, 2011, saw 6,000 cases produced and is expected to retail at £8-£9 per bottle.

Positioning the wine as “our entry level,” Nicolas Perrin’s director, Nicolas Jaboulet, highlighted its 12.5% abv as he emphasised: “The idea is not to make a concentrated wine.”

Indeed, Jaboulet extended this character to the rest of his company’s range, saying: “People won’t buy our wines if they’re looking for structure and power; they buy them if they want elegance and drinkability – but that doesn’t mean they won’t age.”

Although few producers in the Northern Rhône have so far adopted the Vin de France designation, which was introduced in 2010, usually preferring to classify their entry level wines as Côtes du Rhône, Jaboulet felt “as we wanted to remain a producer from the Northern Rhône, this was the best way.”

This latest development follows the company’s purchase last year of its first vineyard, a two hectare Syrah plot in Crozes Hermitage, which director Nicolas Jaboulet described as “the beginning of our estate investment.”

A joint venture between Jaboulet and the Perrin family from the Southern Rhône, Nicolas Perrin launched at the end of 2009 with just four wines – a St Joseph, Hermitage white and red, and a Côte Rôtie. Having since built on this offering, Jaboulet confirmed: “Now we have a complete range of Northern Rhône wines, from Condrieu to Cornas.”

Although the company, which currently sells to 23 markets, continues to work predominantly with growers, Jaboulet confirmed: “We really want in the future to have our négoce and domaine side by side.”

Emphasising the value of the company’s negociant arm, he remarked: “It gives us the chance to work with different terroirs, altitudes and expositions.” However, Jaboulet added, “having a vineyard gives a solid base to the business.”

As for the decision to buy in Crozes Hermitage, the largest appellation in the Northern Rhône, where the land is flat and relatively cheap compared to its neigbours, Jaboulet described it as “an appellation where we can grow.” By contrast, he noted: “Côte Rôtie and Hermitage are small and expensive so we’ll always be limited there.”

Meanwhile Jaboulet pointed to ongoing improvements across the company’s existing wines. “We’re improving in each appellation as we find new growers and new ways of aging the wine,” he reported. This has included a shift from maturing the company’s Crozes Hermitage wines in barrel to larger, 72 hectolitre wooden cuves tronconiques.

For his white wines, Jaboulet is considering a shift to using concrete eggs, whose curved shape removes the need for battonage, having been impressed with the results achieved by some of his growers.