2015 St Joseph Domaine de la Croix des Vignes

Bright violet. Powerful black and blue fruit preserve, spicecake and incense aromas are lifted and sharpened by a strong, smoky mineral nuance. Stains the palate with concentrated, smoke-tinged boysenberry, cherry liqueur and five-spice flavors that become more energetic with air. Shows suave, seamless texture and finishes extremely long and sappy; chewy tannins build slowly and frame the intense dark fruit.

The 2016 Saint Joseph La Croix Des Vignes offers plenty of granite character as well as cassis and black raspberry fruit, spice, and graphite. It’s concentrated, ripe, and tannic, with a touch of austerity that will benefit from another 2-3 years of bottle age. If anyone had any doubts about the incredible turn around in quality this estate has seen since being taken over by Caroline Frey and winemaker Jacques Desvernois in 2006, these latest 2015s should put those doubts to rest. This is unquestionably the finest set of releases I’ve tasted from the estate, and the top reds rival, and in a number of cases surpass, the 2009s and 2010s. While the lineup remains relatively unchanged, the La Petite Chapelle has been done away with and is replaced by the La Maison Bleue cuvee, which driven by vineyards located on the eastern side of Hermitage Hill, as opposed to being a second wine for the La Chapelle cuvee. I continue to think the whites could use more richness and opulence, yet they’re impeccably made and carry their fresher, vibrant style nicely.

The 2015 Saint Joseph Domaine de la Croix des Vignes is more tannic than the 2016 but not better. Dry cedary notes frame cherry fruit in the medium to full-bodied wine that will require a couple of years in the cellar to show its best.