2017 St Joseph La Sensonne
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Tasting notes
Bold raspberries and grilled plums are framed by notes of vanilla and baking spices in the 2017 Saint Joseph la Sensonne, an old-vine cuvée aged in 100% new oak. Full-bodied, creamy textured and supple on the palate, it finishes long, with lingering notes of salted licorice. It's already drinking deliciously, yet it should gain nuance over the next decade. Tasted twice (once blind), with consistent notes.
Critic scores
Average Score
Richard Hemming MW, jancisrobinson.com
James Suckling
More reviews and scores
The most modern style cuvée is the 2017 Saint Joseph La Sensonne, which was destemmed and brought up all in new oak. It offers a beautiful bouquet of crème de cassis, vanilla bean, cured meats, graphite, and ground pepper, and while it has a kiss of background oak, it has serious granite character and underlying structure. Full-bodied, opulent, and layered on the palate, it's going to show more and more classic Saint Joseph character with 2-4 years of bottle age and keep for a decade. I’ve raved about the quality coming from this estate in the past, and the young Jerome Coursodon continues to deliver the goods in every vintage. All of his wines come from steep, east, and south-facing, granite soils located outside the village of Mauve, in the southern part of the Saint Joseph appellation.
Very attractive aromas of ripe blackberries and red plums with a swathe of toasty oak on offer, as well as dark stones. The palate has a super plush and very slinky build of ripe black and red-fruit flavors with plenty of wood influence. Try from 2022.
Cask sample. Tasted blind. Rich, confected fruit with loads of new-oak spice on the palate. Very modern and impressive, with attractive smoky notes on the finish. Won't satisfy traditionalists, but there is no doubt of the quality of flavours on offer here. (RH)