For the cellar: 2016 J.L. Chave Selection, Offerus, Saint-Joseph

Just a quick tasting note for today.  The 2016 J.L. Chave Selection, Offerus, Saint-Joseph is a good selection for the cellar.  Whereas I found the 2014 vintage appropriate for current consumption, this 2016 vintage has the acidity and structure to support aging.  It also takes time in the glass to slowly reveal its complexity with air suggesting the flavors age.  There is interest throughout, from the meaty nose to the violets in the mouth.

2016 J.L. Chave Selection, Offerus, Saint-Joseph – $30 at MacArthur Beverages
Imported by Erin Cannon Imports.  Alcohol 13.5%.  Slightly meaty on the nose.  There are initial flavors of blue and black fruit, herbs, and brown sugar carried by almost citric acidity.  There is good texture in the mid-palate with a very fine structure to support development.  With air, the finely delineated black fruit takes on an interesting violet and purple fruit notes.  You may drink this now but these are early days for this wine.  ***(*) Now – 2029.

More Saint-Joseph: Gaillard and Paris

I’ll admit to being a little underwhelmed with the two bottles of Saint-Joseph featured in this post. The 2016 Pierre Gaillard, Saint-Joseph offers some intrigue with the earth and vintage perfume but there is more structure than flavor. A few years of age might dissolve this concern.  It is worth stocking away a few bottles at this price. The 2016 Domaine Vincent-Paris, Saint-Joseph les Cotes is grapey, fresh, and tart. It does not offer up much right now but there is pinon incense that I like. Neither bottle budged much over a few days. My recommendation is to cellar a few years before trying again.

2016 Pierre Gaillard, Saint-Joseph – $25
Imported by Dionysos Imports. Alcohol 12.5%. The blue and red fruit flavors are earth upon opening then develop a note of vintage perfume. It is a brighter wine with an herbaceous edge to the fruit. The watering acidity matches the elegant flavors, which, at this point are surrounded by structure. If the fruit persists and the structure resolves, this could be quite interesting in a few years. *** 2021 – 2028.

2016 Domaine Vincent-Paris, Saint-Joseph les Cotes – $27
Imported by MacArthur Liquors. Alcohol 12.5%. Grapey and fresh this is a tart wine with crisp concentration and very fine tannins. It is not offering up much right now but I do like the pinon incense. **(*) 2021-2026.

A Pair of 2015 Lionel Faury, Saint-Joseph

The 2015 Lionel Faury, Saint Joseph Rouge and 2015 Lionel Faury, La Gloriette Vieilles Vignes, Saint Joseph exemplify elegant wines made during a ripe vintage.  Both are generally floral, black fruited wines with the ripeness exhibited as a coating of seductive fat.   A deft hand is evident.  What I find crazy is that La Gloriette Vieilles Vignes is only $3 more than the Rouge.  I recommend you load up on as much as you can afford for I would not be surprised it drinks at a higher level in just two or three years.   I found these wines at MacArthur Beverages.

2015 Lionel Faury, Saint-Joseph Rouge – $32
Imported by Kermit Lynch.  This wine is 100% Syrah sourced from vines planted between 1979 and 2007.  It was aged 12 months in oak foudres. Alcohol 13%.  Floral with a youthful, Syrah nose.  In the mouth are flavors of pure, black floral fruit propelled by watering acidity.  With air the structure slowly reveals itself along with a hint of fat in the finish.  ***(*) Now – 2024.

2015 Lionel Faury, La Gloriette Vieilles Vignes, Saint-Joseph – $35
This wine is 100% Syrah sourced from vines planted between 1949 and 2014.  It was fermented with indigenous yeast in concrete vats then aged for 18 months in large oak casks.  Alcohol 13%.  Floral with black fruit but more so than the regular rouge.  It is initially citric with bright fruit baking spices and quite the mineral finish.  It is an attractive, saline wine with a berry core infused with fat throughout.  It is more floral in flavor and clearly more complex.  The very fine tannins are starting to integrate yet will support development.  I imagine this will hit the next stage in a few years.  **** Now – 2029.

Young Syrah for Cold Weather – Darnaud and Durand

The 2016 Emmanuel Darnaud, Les trois chenes, Crozes-Hermitage and 2016 Domaine Durand, Les Coteaux, Saint-Joseph  are two wines you might consider drinking for lunch on a snowy day such as we are having in Washington, D.C.  They are lower in alcohol with fresh flavors suitable for midday.  The Darnaud is a new wine for me.  It is the grapier of the two, juicy, with an ethereal finish.  Its quite good for a Crozes-Hermitage.  The Durand is darker in fruit flavor, sports more structure, and actually requires air to open up.  Both are wines to be drunk over the next five years or so.  The Darnaud is silky and the Durand is taut which make for an interesting contrast.  You may find them at MacArthur Beverages.

2016 Emmanuel Darnaud, Les trois chenes, Crozes-Hermitage – $25
Imported by Fruit of the Vines. This wine is 100% Syrah sourced from 25-60 year old vines on glacial, pebbly soils raised in cement tanks and demi-muids. Alcohol 12%. A nose of grapey scents and smoke. Dense and grapey in the mouth, a modest structure and silky body lead to an ethereal ripe finish. Flavors of black fruit, juicy acidity, and grapiness are about youth. There is a mineral bit and slightly savory finish. Clean. ***(*) Now – 2025.

2016 Domaine Durand, Les Coteaux, Saint-Joseph – $25
Imported by Fruit of the Vines. This wine is 100% Syrah. Alcohol 13.5%. Fresh with sweet black fruit and some vanilla on the nose. Taut black fruit with minerals exist before the focused, sweet, and ripe middle. Rounded with fine tannins and good spiced flavors in the finish. It needs time to open up in the glass but will not be long-lived. ***(*) Now – 2026.

A floral 2016 Vincent Paris, St. Joseph Les Cotes

The 2016 Vincent Paris, St. Joseph Les Cotes  is a floral and pure Saint-Joseph to be drunk over the next several years.  It does not have the stuffing of the 2014 vintage which means you can enjoy its unique flavor right now!  You may find it at MacArthur Beverages.

2016 Vincent Paris, St. Joseph Les Cotes – $27
Imported by MacArthur Liquors.  This wine is 100% Syrah sourced from vines planted in the 1990s. It was rained in both tank and used oak. Alcohol 12.5 %. Aromatic and decisively floral. Again, floral in the mouth with lifted, delicate fruit that is pure and clean. It reveals some fat with tannins and an underpinning of minerals. This medium-bodied wine has unique flavor and tang. It should develop quickly. ***(*) Now – 2022.

Ending the summer with Marsanne, Saint-Joseph

It was a long summer in Maryland this year.  The weather is still hot and humid so despite the start of school, I find it hard to transition out of a vacation mindset.  But I must as I have drunk a number of interesting wines including the 2016 Domaine Jean-Claude Marsanne, Saint-Joseph.  The wines of Saint-Joseph remain my go-to choice for the Northern Rhone given their affordability.  Prices are ticking up with the cult Gonon now reaching over $100 per bottle.  From the same village of Mauves, the Marsanne family have been cultivating vines for generations.  This is the first vintage of Marsanne that I have drunk and I know it will not be the last.  It is a dense, savory wine which has a good amount of stuffing but maintains a floral edge for delicacy.  With a few hours of air it drinks very well but I imagine it will unfurl over the next few years.  Take note!  You may find it at MacArthur Beverages.

2016 Domaine Jean-Claude Marsanne, Saint-Joseph – $37
Imported by MacArthur Liquors.  This wine is 100% Syrah sourced from 39 year old vines on granitic soil.  It was fermented in stainless steel vats then aged for 12 months in oak barrels.   Alcohol 13.5%.  Dense and savory with a floral edge to the black, almost bitter, fruit.  There is good presence in this clean, quite weighty wine, which has a bit of structure evident in the aftertaste.  With air the wine becomes sweeter and riper, showing a little fat for luxury, all balanced by supportive acidity.  A touch of cinnamon even pops up.  **** Now – 2028.

I am still at the beach

with a bottle of 2016 Domaine Jean-Claude Marsanne, Saint-Joseph.

 

Flavorful and elegant: 2015 Faury, Saint-Joseph

The 2015 Lionel Faury, Saint Joseph captures the exuberance of the vintage but does so with finely scented aromas and elegant flavors.  While it shows good complexity now, it will be even better in a year or two.  Grab a bottle from MacArthur Beverages.

2015 Lionel Faury, Saint Joseph – $32
Imported by Kermit Lynch. Alcohol 13%. Finely scented with aromas of pure pepper and fat. Red and mineral with perfumed fruit in the middle this is an elegant wine yet conveys body and some fat. The elegance continues but so do the flavor which takes on evergreen, black pepper, and orange citrus by the finish. ***(*) Now – 2025.

The 2015 Durand, Les Coteaux, Saint-Joseph will develop well

Good values continue to be found from the 2015 vintage in Saint-Joseph.  The 2015 Domaine Durand, Les Coteaux, Saint-Joseph combines nothing but desirable elements: juicy fruit, fat, stones, and stuffing for development.  While appealing now it will be even better in a couple of years.  You should grab several of these bottles from MacArthur Beverages.

2015 Domaine Durand, Les Coteaux, Saint-Joseph – $25
Imported by Fruit of the Vine.  This wine is 100% Syrah sourced from 15-25 year old vines on granite hills which is matured for 12 months in both cement vats and barrels.  Alcohol 14%.  This is a focused yet round wine with baby fat, hints of smoke, and a juicy berry core.  Salivating acidity drives the flavors into the finish of minerals and stones which are matched by lifted flavors of black fruit.  Overall this is an appealing, slightly savory wine with the structure and stuffing for some development.  ***(*) Now – 2028.

A full-flavored, modern Saint-Joseph

The 2015 Domaine Courbis, Saint-Joseph appears to be completely opaque in color which matches the mouth filling, seamless flavors.  This is a modern style of wine, with flavors of vanilla and chocolate that need time to integrate, but over the course of an evening you will find other tempting delights.  It is easy to drink now but should offer more complexity in a year or two.  Grab a bottle from MacArthur Beverages.

2015 Domaine Courbis, Saint-Joseph – $26
Imported by Roanoke Valley Wine Company.  This wine is 100% Syrah vinified in stainless steel then aged in used oak barriques.  Alcohol 14%.  This is a modern Saint-Joseph with an opaque color of dark, red grapiness.  Black fruit accented by pepper greets the mouth before the racy middle and slowly expanding core of ripe fruit through the finish.  There is good acidity in this round and full wine.  Notes of chocolate and sweet vanilla need time to integrate.  There is a pleasing hint of violets in the finish.  ***(*) Now – 2025.