2014 Chave (Domaine) Saint Joseph

Tasted in components: #1, from Bachasson: Highly perfumed aromas and flavors of fresh dark berries and cherry, bearing an intense floral overtone. Juicy and precise with excellent clarity and finishing lift. #2, from 90-year-old vines in Clos Florentin: Potent dark berry and pungent flowers on the mineral-accented nose. Deeply concentrated yet lithe, offering vibrant blackberry and violet pastille flavors that open up slowly on the back half. Rich but nervy, displaying outstanding closing thrust and lingering sweetness. The final wine should be a weighty yet energetic Saint-Joseph with intense dark berry and floral character supported by a spine of juicy acidity and minerality.  Vinous 92-94

The 2014 St Joseph Domaine is a wine readers should buy by the case. It’s not going to be the longest-lived St Joseph out there, but it’s absolutely loaded with character. I was able to drink a bottle of this over lunch and it’s one of those bottles that’s always the first to be emptied. Ripe, polished and sexy, with medium-bodied richness, it has perfumed notes of dark fruits, graphite, crushed flowers and spice in an ethereally textured, seamless package. Drink bottles through 2024.                  WIne Advocate 92