2018 St Joseph
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Tasting notes
Brilliant purple. Spice-accented dark berry aromas show sharp clarity and pick up a sexy floral topnote with air. Concentrated, smoke-laced black raspberry, bitter cherry, violet pastille and spicecake flavors gain sweetness on the back half. Finishes supple, juicy and long, with polished tannins coming in late to add shape and gentle grip.
Critic scores
Average Score
Richard Hemming MW, jancisrobinson.com
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
The 2018 Saint Joseph from Robert shows lots of granitic character with its racy aromas and flavors of raspberries, spring flowers, obvious minerality, graphite, and orange blossoms. With medium to full-bodied richness, a lively, elegant texture, and terrific overall balance, this is pure class. It will benefit from 2-3 years of bottle age and keep for a decade. Enough can’t be said about the quality now coming from the domaine of Stéphane Robert. Both his reds and whites are world-class in every sense.
I tasted from a couple of barrels that will be blended to make Robert's 2018 Saint Joseph. The first, from near Glun, was rich, powerful and supple, with chocolate and purple raspberry notes and a full-bodied, creamy-textured palate. The second, from Tournon, while still full-bodied, was fresher and more structured, with floral notes, a mix of red berries and black olives, and firm but silky tannins.
100% Syrah. Cask sample. Tasted blind. Wonderfully ornate nose with meat, spice, black fruit, mushroom and dark chocolate. Yes! Succulent and svelte on the palate – this is ticking all the boxes. So expressive and vibrant, with superb harmony and persistence. An absolute standout. (RH)