2016 Pierres-Sèches Syrah

WSI94 WA93 Proprietor Sylvain Gauthier has turned out a terrific 2016 Saint Joseph, blended from several different granitic plots and aged in old barrels. Herbal, peppery, almost peppermint notes join with hints of dark chocolate and violets on the nose of this enchanting wine. On the palate, it’s creamy and lush yet firms up nicely on the finish to suggest a decade or so of aging potential. This shows great purity and elegance, plus ample power.
JD93 Leading off the reds and inky colored, the 2016 Saint Joseph has stunning notes of black olives, iodine, game, and assorted blacker fruits. It’s rich, medium to full-bodied, beautifully concentrated, and balanced, with tons of class. Drink it any time over the coming 7-8 years, although it will keep even longer.
Aromas of red and black fruit, licorice, soy, crushed stones, lots of peppery spice. Medium-bodied, juicy, fine-grained tannins. Very long.  Hand-harvested. Partially destemmed (90%); fermented in temperature-controlled, stainless steel tanks on indigenous yeasts. Aged for one year in older French oak barrels (four years old). Bottled unfined, with minimal added sulfur.  Estate hillside vineyards face south/southeast in the communes of Sarras, Arras-sur-Rhône and Vion. Soils are mostly decomposed granite; in Vion, slopes have sandier granite soils. All these areas are part of the southern end of the Saint-Joseph appellation. 100% Syrah