2017 St Joseph l'Olivaie

The 2017 Saint Joseph L'Olivaie is a slightly smaller production release compared to the Silice and is brought up in 15% new French oak. It offers a beautiful bouquet of cassis, crushed violets, and graphite, with a kiss of background oak. It's a more rounded, polished, and textured Saint Joseph that has a touch of modern character, yet never loses its Northern Rhône soul. Drink it over the coming decade. I’ve raved about the quality coming from this estate in the past, and the young Jerome Coursodon continues to deliver the goods in every vintage. All of his wines come from steep, east, and south-facing, granite soils located outside the village of Mauve, in the southern part of the Saint Joseph appellation.

Opaque ruby. Bright and energetic on the perfumed nose, displaying intense dark berry and floral scents that pick up spicy character as the wine opens up. In a juicy, fruit-driven style, offering appealingly sweet blueberry and cherry flavors and suggestions of licorice and candied violet. Finishes very long and smooth, with just a trace of velvety tannins and resonating spiciness.

The fruit rises to the lead here with attractive blackberries and blackcurrants, as well as ripe plums, earth, wet slate and woody spices. The palate builds such attractively fleshy fruit with a very smooth, succulent delivery of vibrant tannins and a sleek, pepper-dusted, fine-tannin finish. Drink or hold.