2012 St Joseph Ste Epine
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Tasting notes
Bright violet color. Ripe cherry and dark berries on the deeply scented, spice-tinged nose. A sexy floral pastille note adds complexity to gently sweet, slowly unfolding blackberry and boysenberry flavors. Quite approachable, with no rough edges and very good depth. This supple, open-knit wine finishes with emphatic thrust, silky tannins and resonating spiciness.
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Average Score
Jeb Dunnuck
Richard Hemming MW, jancisrobinson.com
More reviews and scores
A blockbuster Saint Joseph that’s up there with the crème de la crème of the appellation, the 2012 Saint Joseph Sainte Epine offers awesome notes of crème de cassis, toasted spice, licorice and vanilla bean. Slightly modern styled, (it was aged in 40% new and 60% 2- to 3-year-old barrels), with full-bodied richness and a decadent, layered style, it stays firmly planted in the Northern Rhone with a granite-influenced minerality, beautiful purity and building tannin. This beauty will have two decades of longevity.
30% new oak. The first vintage this vineyard was worked organically. Sweet fruit with flattering, scented oak. This certainly gets the best from the appellation – juicy and fragrant, and firmly structured. (RH)
Inky purple. The nose displays intense, smoke-laced cherry and cassis scents, along with suggestions of olive, black pepper and Indian spices. Silky and sweet on entry, them firmer in the mid-palate, offering chewy dark fruit flavors lifted by juicy acidity. Closes extremely long and spicy, with mounting tannins and a touch of bitter chocolate. "This wine is always strong in tannins and will age almost as slowly as an Hermitage," according to co-winemaker Claire Darnaud.