Jaboulet Aîné Crozes-Hermitage Domaine de Thalabert 2016

94 points Jeb Dunnuck: "The 2016 Crozes Hermitage Domaine De Thalabert offers a rocking (and classic) bouquet of ripe black fruits intermixed with notions new saddle leather, pepper, garrigue, and hints of bacon fat. This ripe, medium to full-bodied, silky wine has remarkable purity, is already complex, and finishes with serious length. Drink it over the coming 10-15 years. The big news at this benchmark estate is the loss of winemaker Jacques Desvernois to Domaine Guigal. At the time of my tasting with Caroline Frey, there was no replacement, so it will be interesting to see who comes on board. They will certainly have big shoes to fill. Nevertheless, the estate has been on an incredible roll, with their sensational 2015s last year, and now two strong vintages with their 2016s and 2017s. Drink: 2019-2034. (12/20/18)"

93 points Joe Czerwinski (Wine Advocate): "The classically styled 2016 Crozes Hermitage Domaine de Thalabert boasts savory scents of black olive and leather. Medium to full-bodied, it's plummy and rich, creamy and ripe but savory and earthy, not jammy at all, with a lingering, velvety-textured finish. It drinks well now, but it should continue to evolve and drink well through 2035. Drink: 2018-2035. (Oct 2018)"

93 points Josh Raynolds (Vinous): "Deep vivid ruby. Vibrant, highly perfumed black and blue fruit, floral and incense aromas pick up exotic spice and mineral flourishes with aeration. Pure, focused and energetic in the mouth, offering appealingly sweet boysenberry, cassis and violet pastille flavors that show no rough edges. Deepens steadily on the very long, lively finish, which features resonating florality and well-knit tannins. Drink: 2023-2031. (Sep 2019)"

93 points John Gilman (View From the Cellar): " It had been four years since I last opened a bottle of the 2016 Crozes-Hermitage “Thalabert” from Paul Jaboulet Aîné and the wine has closed down considerably since I last drank a bottle. 2016 was a great classic vintage in the northern half of the Rhône Valley and this bottling was one of the finest values to be found in this vintage. At eight years of age, the wine has closed down for a bit of hibernation and really seems like it wishes to be left alone for the present time. There is still excellent depth of fruit and inherent complexity here, but this is like drinking a young bottle of Bordeaux in its “dumb phase” right now. Reluctantly, the bouquet offers up a still quite primary blend of cassis, black raspberries, smoked meats, pepper, black olive, dark soil tones and just a hint of cedar. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and hunkered down today, with a superb core of fruit, fine soil undertow and grip, still a fair bit of ripe tannin and fine length on the well balanced finish. I will not check in on another bottle of this wine for another three or four years, just to give it some time to work out of it adolescence. 2028-2050. (Sep/Oct 2024)"
92-93 points James Suckling: "This shows pretty dark fruit along with cloves, dark berries and hints of black pepper. Medium to full body and a juicy finish. (5/23/18)"

91 points Wine Spectator: "[$48 list] A ripe, fresh style, featuring a silky mix of raspberry and blackberry fruit laced with anise and black tea notes. Light chalky minerality lets the finish linger. Drink now through 2023. 500 cases imported. (5/31/19)"