2022 St Joseph l'Olivaie
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Tasting notes
All Syrah aged 15 months in barrel (15% new), the 2022 Saint Joseph Olivaie offers red and black fruits, leafy herbs, sappy flowers, and spicy wood. Medium to full-bodied and beautifully balanced, with ripe tannins, it's a layered, elegant, and impressively made wine in a classic style. Drink bottles over the coming 8-10 years. Drink 2025-2035. Based in Mauves, in the heart of the Saint Joseph appellation, Domaine Coursodon is a fifth-generation family-run estate today led by Jérôme Coursodon. The estate farms just over 16 hectares, all within the Saint Joseph AOC, with vines planted on steep granitic slopes surrounding Mauves. Most vines average 40 to 60 years of age. All reds are 100% Syrah and are destemmed, fermented in stainless steel, and aged in barrel, with the élevage varying slightly between cuvées. Silice sees 12 months in used oak, L'Olivaie and La Sensonne are aged 15 months with increasing percentages of new oak (100% new for La Sensonne), and Paradis Saint Pierre comes from a single granite lieu-dit and is partially destemmed, with 15 months in barrel. White wines are based on Marsanne, with Paradis Saint Pierre Blanc including a small percentage of Roussanne. Both whites are barrel fermented and aged 12 months, with lees stirring used for the top cuvée. Looking at the vintages reviewed here, the 2022s are brilliant across the board. They show the ripe, sunny style of the year yet retain remarkable purity, balance, and elegance. All of the cuvées offer pleasure today, and I have no doubt they'll age beautifully, with broad drinking windows. The 2023s from barrel are more plush, soft, and supple, which reflects the style of the vintage. Lastly, do not miss the whites. The 2023 Saint Joseph Paradis Saint Pierre Blanc might be the white of the vintage in Saint Joseph.
Critic scores
Average Score
Alistair Cooper MW, jancisrobinson.com
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
A pure, perfumed wine, the 2022 Saint Joseph l'Olivaie reveals aromas of plums, dark berries and dark cherries mingled with lovely menthol notes. Medium to full-bodied, layered and textured, it's seamless with a fleshy core of fruit, velvety tannins and a long, dark berry-inflected finish. Destemmed, it's matured for 15 months in barrels, of which 15% were new.
The 2022 Saint-Joseph L'Olivaie mixes leafy accents with graphite, black cherry and a touch of cedar on the elegant aromatic profile. Medium-bodied, round and refreshing, the 2022 is a delicious Saint-Joseph that’s already starting to drink well.
Cassis, liquid violets, ground pepper, and an undeniable sense of minerality emerge from the 2022 Saint Joseph L'Olivaie, a medium to full-bodied, pure, beautifully balanced Saint Joseph that has fine tannins and a solid spine of acidity. It's beautifully done.