2006 St Joseph Offerus
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Tasting notes
Saturated red. Powerful aromas of black raspberry, candied cherry, licorice and smoky minerals. Sweet cherry and dark berry flavors coat the palate, with dusty tannins adding gentle grip. The licorice note repeats on the finish, which clings impressively and betrays no rough edges. Pretty sexy wine, and drinking well right now.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jeb Dunnuck
Josh Raynolds
More reviews and scores
While the 2006 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave St. Joseph Offerus showed interesting and enjoyable aromatics, the palate had so much acidity that I felt like I was biting into a lemon. The nose has some nice complexity and shows tobacco, leather and earth notes but also a slight citrus component that carried over into the palate. Medium bodied with sweet fruit, this has excessive levels of acidity that turn the finish slightly sour. This did improve with air and might have benefited from a decant.
Component #1, from Mauves: Intense raspberry and candied cherry aromas and flavors; silky tannins. Component #2, from Saint Jean de Muzols. Sexy bitter cherry and blackberry. More minerals with air. Supple tannins. Component #3, from south of Mauves, on granite: Firm but sweet; strong bitter cherry; solid but nicely integrated tannins. Component #4, from the Chalaix vineyard in Mauves, planted on granite: Intensely floral flavors of vibrant red berries. Strong finishing grip.
About the producer
The Chaves have been growing grapes in the Northern Rhône since 1481. Jean-Louis Chave is the 16th generation to head up the family domaine, having taken over from his father in 1992.