1996 St Joseph Les Granits

The luxury cuvees of St.-Joseph Les Granites include what may be the finest St.-Josephs I have ever tasted. The 1996 St.-Joseph Les Granites is made from yields of 10 hectoliters per hectare. This black/purple-colored wine could easily be mistaken for a profound Hermitage ... it is that sublime! It is a sweet, mineral-laden, blackberry, raspberry, and cassis-scented wine with an amazingly thick mid-palate, and a huge, blockbuster finish. A seamless beauty of immense proportions, it should be given 3-4 years of cellaring, and drunk over the first two decades of the next century. Oct 1997, www.robertparker.com, Drink: 2000-2021

What would easily pass for a top Hermitage, the 1996 Saint Joseph Les Granits is more elegant and finesse-driven than the Varonniers, and offers an exotic, perfumed style in its blackberry, crushed flowers, raspberry and mineral-laced bouquet. The tannin quality here is first rate, and this medium to full-bodied beauty is fresh, elegant and layered, with terrific length. It’s fully mature, yet drinking brilliantly.<br><br>This 20-year retrospective was a chance to look at the 1996s, as well as a few 1995s, from Michel Chapoutier. Looking at the 1996 vintage, this was a cooler, late vintage that favored those with patience; these releases from Chapoutier are fresh and lively, with good concentration and beautiful, granite influenced characters. They’re in direct opposition to his larger, more concentrated and decadently styled 1995s, which are from a warmer vintage. The 1995s don't have the same purity or granite feel, but they have more flesh and texture. All of these wines are mature, yet they have plenty of life ahead as well. All of these wines were tasted in the spring of 2016. Aug 2016, www.robertparker.com, Drink: 2000, 2021

Bright ruby. Minerals, woodsmoke, gunflint, pungent oak spice and a vegetal complexity on the fascinating nose. Smooth and stuffed with flavor, but tougher than the Chapoutier '96 Crozes-Hermitage Varonniers and less open to inspection today. Distinctly granitic density of texture and mineral and gunflint notes. Finishes with lots of tongue-dusting tannins, but the aftertaste is not at all dry.