2012 St Joseph
Estimated value
Buying options
Tasting notes
Saturated ruby. Fresh dark berries, olive paste, potpourri and peppery spices on the perfumed nose. Sappy and expansive, offering hefty blueberry and cherry compote flavors enlivened by notes of cracked pepper and smoky minerality. Dusty tannins give gentle grip to the persistent finish, with the olive and floral notes repeating. The 2011 version of this wine drinks very nicely right now, showing the freshness of the vintage as well as the balance and structure to age gracefully over the coming decade.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jeb Dunnuck
Josh Raynolds
More reviews and scores
The 2012 Saint Joseph lacks a little mid-palate depth, but has beautiful purity of fruit and good length. Seeing 10% new barrels, it exhibits meaty, mineral-laced dark fruits, smoked earth and forest-floor qualities to go with a medium-bodied depth and richness, and a soft, supple palate. It improves with air and will drink nicely for 7-8 years.
The 2012 Saint Joseph lacks a little mid-palate depth, but has beautiful purity of fruit and good length. Seeing 10% new barrels, it exhibits meaty, mineral-laced dark fruits, smoked earth and forest-floor qualities to go with a medium-bodied depth and richness, and a soft, supple palate. It improves with air and will drink nicely for 7-8 years.||I loved these latest releases from Bernard Gripa, and during my two weeks spent working in the Northern Rhone, I probably had 3-4+ glasses of his Saint Joseph Blanc at local restaurants. Readers should buy a case of this beauty. His Saint Peray releases are equally impressive. As to the reds, I liked his top cuvee, the le Berceau, a fair clip more than his classic wine, but both are excellent and worth checking out. This is an underappreciated wine that merits more attention in the marketplace. eRobertParker.com.December, 2014