2017 St Joseph Les Grisieres
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Tasting notes
Deep, brilliant violet. Smoke-accented black and blue fruits, potpourri, exotic spices and licorice on the assertively perfumed, expansive nose. Appealingly sweet, mineral-accented cassis and blueberry flavors show impressive depth and pick up a sexy floral quality with aeration. Displays sharp detail and mineral lift on the gently tannic, highly persistent finish, which features reverberating blue fruit and floral notes. I actually marginally prefer this wine to its excellent 2016 sibling. All whole clusters.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Josh Raynolds
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The top cuvée is the 2017 Saint Joseph Les Grisières, which comes from older vines and granite soils in the Condrieu appellation (Condrieu and Saint Joseph overlap in some regions). Seeing partial destemming and 15% new oak, it offers more dark fruits, leafy herbs, and meatiness aromatically and is riper, sexy, and beautifully textured on the palate. It’s a seriously good Saint Joseph that should match or exceed the 2016. Based just south of the town of Condrieu, Andre Perret continues to fashion some of the most profound Condrieu out there. In addition to his top single vineyards, don’t overlook his base Condrieu as it offers incredible quality and classic characteristics year in, year out. In addition to the Condrieu, he makes two elegant Saint Josephs that are closer in style to a Côte Rôtie than a Saint Joseph from the southern part of the appellation.
The most impressive red I tasted chez Perret was the 2017 Saint Joseph les Grisieres, which is a dark, brooding version of Syrah that saw 30% new oak. Pepper, blackberry and espresso notes carry the wine through a rich, full-bodied palate and long, velvety finish. This year, Perret included 20% whole clusters to add freshness, and it seems to have worked.