2011 St Joseph

17 new foudres by the François Family, made in Brive. Still a bit severe and tight. A tad skinny. (JR)

The 2011 Saint Joseph (aged 24 months in 2-year-old barrels) is solid and has lots of character and Northern Rhone style. Medium-bodied, with a tight, elegant feel on the palate, it has a fabulously complex bouquet of spice, cured meats, licorice, hung game and sweet cassis. Drink it over the coming decade.||The father/son team of Marcel and Philippe Guigal continue to keep their estate at the top of the hierarchy in the Rhône Valley. All the way from their inexpensive Côtes du Rhône to their top-end Côte Rôties and Hermtiage, the attention to detail and focus on quality is unmatched. Readers should also check out the recent Rhone Retrospective article I wrote that covered the Saint Joseph Vignes des Hospices, Côte Rôtie Brune et Blonde, Côte Rôtie Chateau d'Ampuis and Côte Rôtie La Mouline cuvees going back for over a decade. I said it there, and I'll say it again here, this estate is producing some of the most incredible and singular wines in the world. eRobertParker.com.December, 2014