2021 St Joseph

The only cuvée produced in Saint Joseph, the 2021 Saint Joseph has a classy, elegant, medium-bodied style that brings good ripeness as well as classic notes of blackberries, ground pepper, violets, and spice, with just a hint of almost Côte Rôtie-like smoke and game. It's balanced and has beautiful freshness and outstanding length. Unquestionably, some of my favorite Condrieu, as well as Saint-Joseph, emerges from this tiny estate located off route N7, just south of Condrieu. Releasing three Condrieu, you can’t go wrong with any of them, and the base cuvée is well worth a case purchase each year. The two single vineyards always bring more richness and complexity, but they both have their own style depending on the vintage. And while their Condrieu get all the attention, Perret’s Saint Joseph Blanc is always outstanding as well. As to the reds, the classic Saint-Joseph comes from sites all in the northern part of the appellation and is destemmed and aged in roughly 20% new 400-liter barrels. They’ll also do an old vine Saint-Joseph Les Grisières in top vintages, a vineyard selection that’s all destemmed and sees a slightly longer élevage in 30% new oak. They age beautifully, hitting prime time 4-6 years after the vintage, and evolve for 10-15 years thereafter. They’re easily mistaken for a Côte Rotie in blind tastings. Lastly, while Andre is still fully involved, he has been joined in the cellar by his daughter, Marie, who previously made wine in both California and Chile. As I’ve written many times, Rhône lovers need to have these wines in their cellars.