2015 St Joseph Vignes des Hospices

I was able to taste three vintages of the Vignes de Hospice. This cuvée comes from a cooler, east-facing, incredibly gorgeous vineyard located just above the town of Tournon. The soils here are pure broken granite and are just about identical to what’s found in the Bessards lieu-dit on Hermitage hill. The 2015 Saint Joseph Vignes Des Hospices tastes like a Hermitage with its awesome cassis fruits and huge minerality. It shows more meatiness as well as subtle background oak with air, is full-bodied, beautifully balanced, and concentrated. This is pure granite goodness that needs 3-4 years or bottle age. The big news at the Guigal estate is the purchase of Domaine de Nalys in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The family has always wanted an estate in the South, and Nalys is an unrealized treasure trove of awesome terroir and old vines, both of which I’ve no doubt will be maximized by this talented family. In addition, the former winemaker at Paul Jaboulet Aîné, Jacques Desvernois, has joined the team, and while it’s not clear exactly what his role will be, I suspect he will largely lead the charge at Domaine de Nalys. Either way, Desvernois is an incredible talent and can only add to what is already a well-oiled machine. As to the wines reviewed in this report, I was able to taste multiple vintages of each of the cuvées and have listed the wines by cuvée as opposed to by vintage, which is how we tasted through the wines.

The most impressive vintage of this wine I can recall tasting, the 2015 Saint-Joseph Vignes de l'Hospice is an awesome Saint-Joseph. Visitors to the region can easily spot the steep vineyard just above the town of Tournon when looking across the Rhône from Tain l'Hermitage. Aged in 100% new oak, the wine still shows hints of cedar and vanilla on the nose but also notes of crushed stone and black cherries. It's full-bodied but kept in check by a touch of granite-like austerity that gives the palate shape and length, while the firm tannins glide away in a silky wash on the finish. Almost approachable now, I suspect it will drink well through at least 2035.