Saint-Joseph

Planted in 1981 by Pierre himself, shortly after
leaving the house of Vidal Fleury, Cuminaille is now
one of the greatest wines in St Joseph, an eloquent
expression of northern Syrah and a worthy leitmotif
for all the progress made in this diverse and once
rather misunderstood appellation. Pierre destems
completely and uses a system of pigeage to achieve
gentle extraction from the mature vines. Aromatic
integrity, softly persuasive peppery tannins and a
linearity which marks out this vintage are all expertly
captured in this seminal example. Drink 2019-2024.
Simon Field MW, Wine Buyer

Boasting a wealth of silky red and black fruits, this wine is poised and perfumed. Underlying spices and notes of sousbois perfectly complement the structure. The 2016 has a wonderfully refreshing and clean finish, courtesy of the mild season and inherent fruit quality. Drink 2019-2023.
Simon Field MW, Wine Buyer

Granite slopes behind the key villages of Mauves, Glun and Tournon are the source of this soft and supremely elegant St Joseph, which has been aged for 14 months in five- to six- year-old barrels. Cassis and sun-dried herbs inform the palate which is opulent yet impressively light on its feet.
Simon Field MW - Rhône Buyer

The news from Domaine du Tunnel is that the eponymous (disused railway) tunnel has almost been renovated by M Robert and will house a naturally cool—in both senses of the word—bottling cellar and tasting room, up in the hills above St Péray. This charming and very welcoming family continue to make great wines and were lucky enough to avoid hail in 2013; the resulting wines are excellent, with the whites boasting freshness and definition while the reds are pleasingly forward. Looking at the wines from barrel, the 2013 Saint Joseph has a terrific perfume of violets, wild herbs, spring flowers and pepper-laced purple fruits. It’s medium-bodied, supple and polished, with impressive purity. It has some tannin emerging on the finish, but I suspect these will fall away once in bottle. It should drink nicely for 4-6 years after release.
Jeb Dunnuck - Wine Advocate Issue#216 Dec 2014

There is 10% Roussanne to add aromatic complexity this year, with top notes of poached pear and white pepper adding spice to the Marsanne, itself an hymn of beeswax and honeysuckle. The 10% of new barrique has been finely judged here.
Simon Field MW, Rhône Wine Buyer 

Phlegmatic and industrious , Jérôme has worked his way to the top of the appellation, quite literally when he is working his precipitous Paradis St Pierre vineyard, magisterial  and dressed in granite, high above the village of Mauves. In 2012 he was wary of rot during the humid spring, and then anxious about the ‘canicule’ in August. Ultimately he was happy and rates the vintage very highly, as do we.

 

My only “issue” with this gem of a wine is that it is made in such small volume, which usually entails an indecorous scramble for an allocation. Well worth it, of course, as it is rare to encounter such a forthcoming Marsanne, its citric and orchard fruit personality mapped onto a denser more complex structure, honied and beautifully layered. Drink 2019-2023.
Simon Field MW, Wine Buyer

L’Olivaie is the branded name given to the fruits of magnificent 60-year-old vines located at St Jean de Muzols at the northern edge of the so-called cradle of St Joseph. Having enjoyed an upbringing in 25 percent new wood, with the balance shared between barrel and demi-muid, the 2016 has blacker fruits than Silice, but the integrated yet ripe tannin profile is very much le style de la maison. It may not completely work in translation but Jérôme describes this one as jovial. A bringer of joy, certainly. Drink 2021-2025.
Simon Field MW, Wine Buyer

One should not overlook the reds in the Vernay portfolio…These vines are located in the northern sector of St Joseph, on the granitic slopes behind Chavanay to be precise. The wine is aged for a year in second and third fill barrique and exhibits plenty of red fruit charm, but with polished tannins and a fresh, pleasing finish.
Simon Field MW, BBR Buyer

The fruits of the labours of the eponymous Pape de Condrieu, now in the able hands of his daughter Christine and son-in-law Paul, continue to raise the bar for Viognier. Paul advises that the 2011 season was heterogène and tardive, before adding, with a twinkle in his eye, that he prefers later harvests. Complexity is engendered, and that famous mineral finish, re-defining any preconceived ideas that one may have had about Condrieu, is famous indeed this year. 

LOlivaie is now gaining a reputation which, in the early days, proved difficult as the middle child of three. Sourced from older vines directly behind the town of Tournon, the 2009 impresses with its savoury complexity, smoky subtext and assertive finish.

Eighty-year-old vines, perched precariously high above the valley, are the origin of this fabulous wine, which was not made in 2008. The 2009 is spectacular indeed, but spectacularly rare too in that only 2100 bottles have been produced. It is bold and strident in youth, yet already very complete and fine.

Paradise is never postponed with this outstanding wine, showing its pedigree from the outset and set to blossom with real panache. Dark chocolate, spice and liqueur de cassis from famously precipitous 85 year old vines. The grapes were 50% destemmed, such is Jérôme’s confidence in the vintage, and the wine will have had over 18 months in new barrique when bottled.
Simon Field MW, BBR Buyer, February 2012

Jérôme Coursodon’s reputation continues to soar. Ideally placed vineyards and a perspective which inclines towards perfectionism have both helped him on his way. Add to that the extraordinary natural benevolence of the vintage, and his legacy seems secure. It is fantastic to see such a famous old estate performing so well.

Rhône 2010 Berrys' Best Buys - The Angels of the North
This wine offers outstanding value from the Northern Rhône – an area which excelled in 2010. Beautifully pitched; the fruit is generous and bright, there’s plenty of texture and depth to the palate, but also a silky elegance throughout.
(Martyn Rolph, BBR Fine Wine)

Rich, fleshy but with very refined and supple tannins. Only 5% of new oak is employed but the wine is polished and dense with damson and morello cherry vying for attention.
(Simon Field MW, BBR Buyer, February 2012)

Jérôme Coursodon’s reputation continues to soar. Ideally placed vineyards and a perspective which inclines towards perfectionism have both helped him on his way. Add to that the extraordinary natural benevolence of the vintage, and his legacy seems secure. It is fantastic to see such a famous old estate performing so well.

Justifying its somewhat hyperbolic name, this magnificent wine from 80-year-old vines has a core of ripe red-berried fruit, buttressed by very fine tannins and fascinating additional flavours, reminiscent of cloves, chocolate and morello cherry.
(Simon Field M.W. - Rhône Buyer)

This aristocratic Rhône producer owns plots of the highest pedigree all over in the Rhône – St Joseph has not escaped his radar. The Chapoutier vineyards lie on the hill above Tournon, the village across the Rhône river from Tain, and are almost as steep as Hermitage itself. These are small plots of 2.4 and 2.3 hectares of 60-80 year old vines of Syrah and 60+ year old vines of Marsanne from which the Les Granits Rouge and Blanc are respectively coaxed.
Eva Polaki, Wine Team

A cuvée rather than a specific lieu-dit, L’Olivaie has enjoyed an upbringing in 25% new wood, with the balance shared between barrel and demi-muid. Blacker fruits than Le Silice, but the integrated yet ripe tannin profile is very much le style de la maison.
Simon Field MW, BBR Buyer, February 2012

Jérôme Coursodon’s reputation continues to soar. Ideally placed vineyards and a perspective which inclines towards perfectionism have both helped him on his way. Add to that the extraordinary natural benevolence of the vintage, and his legacy seems secure. It is fantastic to see such a famous old estate performing so well.

Many of our best growers are branching out from their home territory in search of new vines and new challenges. Stéphane Ogier’s third vintage from his high-altitude vines in St Joseph really does have more than a passing hint of Côte-Rôtie about it – rounded and plenty of ripe fruit – delicious.
Tom Cave, Cellar Plan Manager

I was rather amused, when tasting this wine’s immediate predecessor blind at Decanter Magazine, to write that its nose was as aromatically pure as a fine Côte-Rôtie. When its author was revealed however, everything fell into place. From vines on the northerly edge of the appellation, this has been aged for over a year in barrique, 20% of which is new. Showing crushed blueberry on the nose with hints of tapenade, then raspberry and ripe plum, it is an elegant Burgundian style and truly delicious.
Simon Field MW, BBR Buyer

Stéphane Ogier is now, arguably, the leading producer in Côte-Rôtie. Confident, modest and courteous, in short he is the perfect ambassador for the appellation. Stéphane now farms 12 parcels in Côte-Rôtie and has also launched a well-named Côtes du Rhône (Le Temps est Venu which we will sell elsewhere). He held his nerve through the rainy patches in September and the relatively late-picking has been rewarded with a superb range of wines. Stéphane compares their style, with more acidity and less alcohol than usual, to 2006, a vintage which has developed very nicely indeed.

Paradise is never postponed with this outstanding wine, showing its pedigree from the outset and set to blossom with real panache. Dark chocolate, spice and liqueur de cassis are all evidenced from these famously precipitous 85-year-old vines. The grapes were 40 percent de-stemmed, and the wine will have had over 18 months in new barrique when bottled. This is a worthy exemplar of the personality of the vintage; équilibre above all else, pace Monsieur Coursodon. Drink 2019-2026.
Simon Field MW, Wine Buyer

Pierre’s first wine, way back when, on leaving Vidal-Fleury, was St Joseph from this sandy granitic plot just to the south of Chavanay, which now covers five hectares. Berry Bros. & Rudd have followed this one pretty much from the beginning, 30 odd years ago. With both vines and vigneron gaining maturity, the wine is impressively complex, wearing its 40 percent new oak with considerable poise and boasting plenty of attractive ripe fruit, with an intriguingly complex finish – spicy, edgy and yet beautifully clean. Drink 2018-2024.
Simon Fields MW, Wine Buyer

Jérôme makes wines which are both sensuous and cerebral; wines that are not afraid to be flamboyant and to emphasize fruit, yet which do not lack for a distinctive peppery charm and a real sense of place. The 2008 is particularly successful in this respect and will make a lovely addition to the table over the next five years. Drink 2010-2015.

100% destemmed and picked relatively late, the Paradis coaxes complexity from the 80-year-old vines and uncompromising granitic soils. The emphasis on teroir is underlined by the fact that only 10% of the oak employed is new; the 2012 is engagingly complex.  
Simon Field MW, Rhône Wine Buyer 

Phlegmatic and industrious , Jérôme has worked his way to the top of the appellation, quite literally when he is working his precipitous Paradis St Pierre vineyard, magisterial  and dressed in granite, high above the village of Mauves. In 2012 he was wary of rot during the humid spring, and then anxious about the ‘canicule’ in August. Ultimately he was happy and rates the vintage very highly, as do we.