2016 St Joseph Lieu Dit St Joseph Blanc
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Tasting notes
I was blown away by the 2016 Saint Joseph Lieu Dit Saint Joseph Blanc, which is up with some of the top vintages of this cuvée. Terrific notes of sautéed white peach, caramelized citrus, brioche and crème brûlée all give way to a medium to full-bodied, seamless, impressively balanced white. Coming from the namesake vineyard of the appellation, a south facing, granite hillside south of Tournon, this beauty will keep for over a decade. 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.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
(50% new oak) Bright yellow. Intense, mineral-accented nectarine, pear liqueur, chamomile and honey qualities on the nose, joined by a suave floral topnote that gains strength with aeration. Chewy, concentrated and focused on the palate, offering powerful pear skin, white peach and marzipan flavors that show excellent focus and minerally lift. The mineral nuance carries through an impressively persistent finish that features hints of fresh pear and sweet butter.
The 2016 Saint Joseph lieu dit Saint Joseph Blanc includes the old-vine fruit from the former Grippat estate. A blend of 92% Marsanne and 8% Roussanne fermented in 50% new oak and 50% second-fill barriques, it’s ripe and honeyed, marked by aromas of toasted grain, then eases into flavors of toasted marshmallow and orange marmalade before gliding to a long, spicy finish. This medium to full-bodied white looks to have the potential to last up to 10 years in bottle.