Why Caroline Frey rejects malolactic fermentation for Jaboulet’s Condrieus

Winemaker Caroline Frey. Photo courtesy of Domaines Paul Jaboulet Aîné.

“Viognier is a varietal that can quickly overshadow the terroir if not handled carefully,” says Caroline Frey, winemaker of Domainex Paul Jaboulet Aîné since 2006. Contrary to the broadly-accepted methods across Condrieu, Caroline blocks malolactic fermentation in her white wines. She tells us why, and how this more unusual stance, in fact, honours a respected predecessor from the Jaboulet family.

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The Viognier grape, with its rich and peachy potential, can easily turn into big, heady wines both in terms of its aromatic flavour profile and capacity for hefty alcohol content, thanks to the high sugar levels reached at full ripeness. In the Northern Rhône’s Condrieu AOC, producers have traditionally utilised malolactic fermentation during winemaking (the conversion of sharp, malic acids into smoother, creamier lactic ones) as a means of balancing acidity, not to mention adding breadth and complexity in both taste and texture.

Yet Caroline Frey, who took control of Domaines Paul Jaboulet Aîné in 2006, has been bucking this trend in her winemaking since 2009. “By focusing on minerality and not allowing malolactic fermentation, I deviate from the more common approach,” she says, “where the varietal’s opulent aromatics often take precedence over the terroir’s expression. This method allows me to craft a wine that is fresher, more precise, and more balanced.”

In addition to seeking a more restrained style of wine, global warming has also had an effect here, since acidity levels are now naturally lower. Consequently, malolactic fermentation is not necessarily needed to mitigate particularly piercing wines.

“When I began this vinification approach in 2009, I was the only one avoiding malolactic fermentation in Viognier to enhance its minerality and purity,” says Caroline. “Today, I believe this style has influenced other winemakers, and I see it as a growing trend.”

Caroline Frey and her winemaking team. Photo courtesy of Domaines Paul Jaboulet Aîné.

A nod to Louis Jaboulet

While shunning malolactic fermentation may be unconventional in Condrieu, it is actually a “similar approach” to that of the legendary Louis Jaboulet, who steered the business from 1940 until his retirement in the late seventies. The grandson of Jaboulet’s founder, Louis ultimately handed over to his son Gerard, whose untimely death in 1997 signalled the domaine’s modern chapter.

And while more traditional methods had been returned to in the interim, Caroline is “pleased” that hers now align with those “of one of the greatest winemakers in the Jaboulet family, Louis Jaboulet.”

Winemaking today

“My entire approach is focused on preserving the wine’s purity and minerality,” says Caroline. “This requires delicate work with great precision.”

Caroline learnt about wine under the guidance of the late oenologist Denis Dubourdieu, originally while studying at the University of Bordeaux. Denis “has been and continues to be my mentor,” Caroline explains. “He had immense respect for terroir and taught me what makes a great wine. Naturally, from my very first vintages in 2002, I have worked with the aim of achieving purity and true terroir expression.”

Les Amandiers vineyard. Photo courtesy of Domaines Paul Jaboulet Aîné.

We asked if blocking malolactic fermentation made things more difficult, or complicated during winemaking:

“In fact, it makes the process simpler,” Caroline says. “Malolactic fermentation is always a delicate phase where the wine is vulnerable – it can oxidise or lose aromatic intensity. Additionally, it’s a process that’s difficult to control. In some vintages, it happens quickly; in others, you may have to wait until the following spring.”

‘Les Grands Amandiers’

Jaboulet’s ‘Les Grands Amandiers’ Condrieu is produced from three and a half hectares of Viognier vines “in the small village of Limony, at the southern end of the Condrieu appellation. They are planted on a steep granite hillside that overlooks ‘La Limony’ river, a tributary of the Rhône. The slope faces south-southeast and is an impressive and untamed parcel featuring small terraces supported by large stone walls. The vineyard is nestled within a natural setting of green oak trees, broom, and almond trees, making it truly unique.”

A “slow and gradual pressing process” is followed by fermentation and aging in concrete eggs and a few Burgundian barrels, leading to a wine that, as per Caroline’s training, reflects the place from which it came.

Concrete eggs and Burgundian barrels in the winery. Photo courtesy of Domaine Paul Jaboulet Aîné.

“With my ‘Les Grands Amandiers’ cuvée, I am fortunate to work with an exceptional granite terroir. This terroir provides a fascinating balance between the aromatic expression of Viognier and the mineral identity of the site.”

Around 4,000 bottles of ‘Les Grands Amandiers’ are produced, which go down incredibly well with sommeliers, who have put it on the wine lists of restaurants such as Paul de Pierre in Maarkedal, Belgium and Maison Pic in Valence, France.

“The result is in the bottle,” says Caroline, where you’ll find “aromas of white peach, lemon, bergamot and cold stone, along with subtle floral notes like jasmine.” A faithful expression of its origins.