2016 St Joseph Les Granilites Blanc

Slightly deeper gold in color, the 2016 Saint Joseph Les Granilites Blanc (100% Marsanne all from fine, granite soils) was bottled late in June (the entry-level whites are bottled in April), fermented partially in demi-muid and foudre, and aged in 10% new barrels (there are parts in foudre and stainless steel). Buttered citrus, crushed rocks, white flowers and a kiss of honeysuckle give way to a medium bodied, balanced, impressive white that has richness and freshness, as well as loads of character. Drink it over the coming 4-5 years. Enough can’t be said about the quality coming from the estate of Michel Chapoutier. Taking over the domaine from his father in the late 1980s (his first vintage was 1989), Michel quickly moved the estate completely to bio-dynamic farming as well as building a new, state of the art winery located just outside of Tain l’Hermitage. These are classic, traditionally made wines that are never acidified (or chaptalized), are brought up mostly in demi-muids (with plenty of used oak), and bottled unfined and unfiltered. He also continues to grow the brand (this is easily one of the largest tastings I do every year from a single producer) and has added two new Côte Rôties in 2015, the Quatuor and Neve cuvees. The Quatuor is reserved for grapes that didn’t make it into the selection parcellaire releases, and the Neve comes from a single parcel in the northern part of the appellation. Both are impressive wines, although I don’t envy anyone trying to explain the full portfolio to buyers in the market. In addition, while it’s easy to focus on the top cuvées from this estate, the portfolio is packed with incredible values at just about every price point. These reviews focus on the 2015 and 2016 vintages, with all the 2015s tasted out of bottle and the majority of the 2016s still resting in barrel. The 2015 vintage is a monumental one for this estate and matches (and in a few cases, eclipses) what was accomplished in 2009 and 2010. These are ripe, concentrated, structured wines that are going to demand cellar time. In contrast, the 2016s are more elegant and silky, with terrific purity of fruit. They don’t have the sheer grandeur of fruit found in the 2015s, yet are seriously concentrated and have no shortage of tannins and structure.

Produced from mainly estate grapes from around Tournon, Mauves and Saint-Joseph, the 2016 Saint Joseph les Granilites Blanc was raised in 60% oak and 40% stainless steel. It's medium to full-bodied with bold honey and quince notes on the nose and plenty of concentration and weight. It does push things a bit far on the long finish, where a hint of bitterness takes over.

Limpid gold. A highly perfumed bouquet evokes dried pear and peach, honey, jasmine and smoky minerals. Rich and fleshy but energetic thanks to a spine of juicy acidity, which adds lift and nervy cut to the sappy orchard and pit fruit flavors. Finishes chewy and long, featuring a persistent pear skin note and a touch of succulent herbs.