Paul Jaboulet Aîne, Saint-Peray (Rhône Valley, France) 2016

 Saint-Peray is undoubtedly the least well-known appellation in the Northern Rhône Valley, but insiders know that it can make excellent white wine, as it emphatically did in this instance.  The 2016 vintage certainly did its part, as a long growing season with an essentially perfect late ripening period permitted growers to pick when the balance between sugar and acidity was exactly what they wanted.  That doesn’t diminish the accomplishment of the Jaboulet team, as their timing made the best of a great situation.  This all-Marsanne wine is nearly full-bodied and strikingly flavorful, but still fabulously energetic through the mid-palate and finish.  It displays ripe aromas and flavors recalling peach preserves and wild honey, but with a zesty spritz of acidity to brighten everything up.  Jaboulet is a formerly great house recently returned to top form under new ownership, and this is a great case in point.