Saint-Joseph

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

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.

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.

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.

The vines for this outstanding St Joseph climb up behind the town of Tournon and surround its ancient castle. The blend is 95% Marsanne and 5% Roussanne, and the blend has been aged in oak for 20 months. Rich with honey and hazelnut, and luxuriant of texture, this is a full-bodied example that will accompany the ‘meatier’ end of the fish spectrum with great felicity.
Simon Field MW, BBR Buyer

The contribution of the Guigals to the reputation of the Rhône Valley should never be underestimated. Indeed, with the unpredictable genius of Messrs Chapoutier and the unpredictability full-stop of Messrs Jaboulet, the Guigals, père et fils, seem to provide a reassuring rock of certainty in the valley. The fact that they sell over six million bottles of their generic Côtes-du-Rhône is impressive indeed but should not distract us from the quality inherent in both these wines, from two of their own vineyards. 

Although the blend remains unchanged (90 percent Marsanne and 10 percent Roussanne) the 2013 has its own distinctive style, with a pleasing combination of a plump, leesy mouthful and a fresh citric backdrop. Less potent than sometimes, but no less complex, the wine is nuanced and elegant.
Simon Field MW - Rhône Buyer

This vintage was not without its challenges for Jérôme: frost in May, hail in July and very low, uneconomical yields. A very late harvest has produced wines with low pHs, relatively low alcohol and very subtle phenolics. He likens the style to some of the wines made by his father Pierre in the 1980s. In warm years his wines can be very (although not over) ripe, so this redressing of nature’s balance is actually quite welcome, as evidenced by the quality of the finished wines. The 2013 St Joseph Le Paradis St Pierre Blanc is also outstanding and has a surprisingly supple, textured, forward feel on the palate for a vintage that, in most cases, yielded whites with more acidity and focus. Exhibiting good minerality in its stone fruits, white peach, brioche and honeysuckle, it’s medium-bodied, textured and ready to go. Made from 90% Marsanne and 10% Roussanne, aged in 15% new barrels, drink it over the coming 1-2 years.
Jeb Dunnuck - Wine Advocate Issue#216 Dec 2014

One of the newest members of this aristocratic family, Les Granits Blanc is a floral, aromatic and spicy Marsanne with a long lobster-friendly finish.
Simon Field MW, Rhône Wine Buyer 

Surely the most lauded vinous portfolio in the Rhône, the Parcellaires make up a definitive statement of terroir, the majority of which is located in the tiny appellation of Hermitage. Volumes are appropriately modest.

Those driving from Tain to Tournon, then south, will not fail to notice the Chapoutier placard in the midst of an impossibly steep and well-appointed vineyard. The rather obviously entitled Les Granits is suitably special after all the effort required to make it; it is ripe, polished, assertive and long.

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)

We especially liked L’Amarybelle this year; the organic rigour of the tending of its vines echoed in the glass with a rare purity and no lack of charm. Dark fruits and soft spices are buttressed by finely etched tannins and crisp acidity. Hints of eucalypt and mint at the back of the palate enhance the wine yet further.
Simon Field MW - Rhône Buyer

Dynamic and energetic, Yves sometimes gives the impression of trying too hard: there is so much activity and so many wines, why can’t the message be clearer? Well, my message is clear and it underlines the overall quality of the range, proved once again by a recent (late 2014) Decanter tasting which put M Cuilleron's Côte Rôtie on its own at the very top of the tree. Pragmatism over the hot topic of destemming and a general inclination to harvest late are cited as two cornerstones of the Cuilleron philosophy. Yves praises the equilibrium of his 2013 whites, and is pleased with both the colour and the tannic structure of his reds.

Chave’s mere 500 years of expertise in the Northern Rhône underwrites this deeply coloured spicy St Joseph, its notes of plum, black pepper and soft spice complemented by a firm texture, organic husbandry and an impressive seam of mineral acidity.
Simon Field MW - Rhône Buyer

Jean-Louis Chave does not release his top domaine Hermitage wines in time for the en primeur campaign, which will allow us to give them the limelight when they do eventually appear, probably two years down the track. To make up for this, we have allocations of these two excellent wines from 2013, both made by his négociant arm, where a small amount of the fruit is boughtin. Being M Chave, however, we can rest assured that the quality of the fruit is impeccable and that his legendary attention to detail through all aspects of the process has been respected.

100% de-stemming and only 10% new wood was used for the 2011; this is indicative of the pleasingly pragmatic philosophy employed here (2010 differed on both counts). The 85% granitic slopes have yielded a bright and finely textured wine with supple tannins, mirror-bright acidity and plenty of depth.
Simon Field MW, BBR Buyer

Now respected as one of St Joseph’s top three growers, the naturally diffident Jérôme has acquired new confidence, and the wines return the compliment. The pedigree of their birth, that is to say the best, most precipitous, site in St Jean de Muzols, Tournon and Mauves, is now underlined by a suitably prestigious education, which is far from sentimental. For Jérôme, 2010 captures the best of 2006 and 2007, both of which have grown up very nicely indeed.

The three hectare Cuminaille plot was the first to be cultivated by Pierre after leaving Guigal. He identified the merits of these granitic sandy slopes and has been proving the point ever since with an outstanding wine which is aged for 18 months in French barrel of which 40% is new. The result is for me an archetype of St Joseph, finely structured, with great freshness, ripe dark fruit and generous pepper and spice on the finish.
Simon Field MW, Rhône Wine Buyer 

Pierre Gaillard’s bluff exterior belies one of the keenest and most highly-respected minds in the valley. His projects in Collioure, Banyuls, Faugères and closer to home, Seyssuel, are all highly successful, but the mother-ship remains the ever expanding winery high above the medieval village of Malleval. His 2012 wines merit praise for thier colour and ripeness of fruit; for Pierre there is less matière than 2009 or 2010 but more engaging elegance

Yves’ top St Joseph, from old vines around the Chavanay and Mauves communes. A robust, finely structured wine, with firm mineral acidity cutting through the granitic blocks of black fruit.
Simon Field M.W. - Rhône 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.

This hails from 80-year-old vines grown at low yields, with a production of a mere 5,000 bottles. As usual, 50 percent of stems are maintained, engendering a more cerebral edgy wine than its siblings, but well worth the intellectual investment. Bold ripe black fruits, then spice, complexity, velvety tannic grip and a powerful finish. Drink 2021-2026+.
Simon Field MW, Wine Buyer

Located on the plateau above the Medieval village of Malleval, these vines are now 35 years old and the 2016 is rich, spicy and wonderfully harmonious, with notes of crushed rock and ripe blackberry in evidence. 100 percent whole bunch vinification underwrites its structure, grip and persistence. Drink 2019-2024.
Simon Field MW, Wine Buyer