2021 St Joseph La Cotte Sud

The 2021 Saint Joseph La Cotte Sud comes from a south-facing slope and sports a deeper ruby/plum hue to go with terrific aromatics of wild strawberries, red plums, pepper, flowery incense, and hints of leather. I love its complexity, and it's medium-bodied on the palate, with velvety tannins, more density and depth than most in the vintage, and outstanding length. The Courbis brothers, Dominique and Laurent, continue to fashion brilliant wines. From their 33 hectares of vines spread between Cornas, Saint Joseph, Saint-Péray, and Vin de Pays, they produce three whites (two Saint Joseph and one Saint-Péray), three Cornas, and three Saint Joseph. As I’ve written in the past, the wines are quasi-modern with most being destemmed and a few of the top releases seeing a touch of new oak. Don’t let that scare you, though – these are pure, rich, concentrated wines that always hold onto a sense of place. Looking at the wines reviewed here, they’ve done an incredible job with their 2021s, and while they show the fresher style of the vintage, they have ample depth. These will benefit from just a few years of bottle age and are well worth seeking out. The 2022s are a step up, with another level of concentration, yet they bring enough tannins where the cellar is going to be your friend.