2017 St Joseph La Cotte Sud

Vivid purple. Spicy, highly perfumed aromas of cherry, cassis and smoky minerals are complemented by a vibrant floral note and a suave vanilla flourish. Gently sweet and expansive in the mouth, offering juicy black/blue fruit flavors that show very good concentration and spicy back-end thrust. Supple and broad on the persistent, smoke-tinged finish, where dusty tannins provide shape and gentle grip. (50% new oak)

More cassis and blackberry notes emerge from the 2017 Saint Joseph La Cotte Sud, a bigger, richer, more expansive Syrah. Mouthfilling, full-bodied, and just straight-up seamless on the palate, it has sweet tannin and a flamboyant, sexy style that's going to drink nicely in its youth yet also evolve nicely. It's a brilliant barrel sample. These 2016s and 2017s from the Courbis brothers are terrific follow-ons to their brilliant 2015s. The 2016 Cornas are some of the finest in the vintage and have sexy, ripe profiles that offer more pleasure than most. The 2017s are in the same ballpark, with slightly more upfront charm and approachability. In addition to the Cornas releases, this team is turning out some heavenly Saint Josephs!

Cask sample. Tasted blind. Sweet, succulent black fruit on the palate, loads of oak spice in support – this is maximum Syrah, yet has the delicacy of structure appropriate for St-Joseph. Long finish with a lingering toasty, smoky note. Modern and delicious. (RH)