This Hermitage made for one of the most amazing food and wine pairings I've experienced. We paired it with a roasted leg of lamb, butter potatoes, sauteed fiddlehead ferns and morels. Oh, yes. The wine on its own showed outstanding pomegranate, stewed blackberry and dried fig, with woodsy notes of dried leaves, cedar, morels and antique books. It was elegant and graceful, and reminded me in structure and composure of a great Burgundian Pinot. I wish I had another bottle in the cellar, and this wine alone is making me consider lining up a vertical of Jaboulet Hermitage.

Decant 1 to 2 hours before your meal. It can be opened now, but it may benefit from another 3-5 years in the cellar; open between 2012 and 2016.