Vinous (90)

From vines planted in 2010, the 2017 Hemelrand Vine Garden was matured in old neutral barrels and cement egg. It has a clean, pure bouquet of lemon curd, albumen and light yellow flowers. The palate is well balanced, with a taut line of acidity, and quite saline in the mouth. The sharp, slightly flinty finish oddly reminds me of a mature Chablis. Very fine.

Vinous (93)

The 2018 Hemelrand Vine Garden is whole-cluster-pressed and matured in oak and foudres. It has a very seductive bouquet of honeysuckle, passion fruit and hints of beeswax that gain intensity with aeration. The palate is well balanced with a saline opening, plus a fine bead of acidity. There is a light saline lick toward the finish that becomes nuttier with aeration, although this does not quite deliver the complexity of Alheit’s best Chenin Blancs. Still, it is a lovely white blend that should age with style.

Dating back to 2015, the Alleno & Chapoutier Saint Joseph Croix Chabot 2015 is a luxuriously complex synergy of French artistry. Renowned Michelin starred chef Yannick Alléno and Rhône winemaker Michel Chapoutier immaculately craft this exquisite spirit. Sourced from a parcel on Saint Joseph's hill known as 'Croix Chabot,' the vineyard embraces an ideal geographic spot. This fertile land nurtures granitic soils that imbue the wine with a distinct minerality.

The features of Syrah grapes beautifully shine through their vinification in concrete tanks followed by an ageing process in oak barrels for a span of 12 to 18 months. This meticulous process ensures a harmonious blend of the wine's fruity and spicy characters.

The elegant full-bodied Alleno & Chapoutier Saint Joseph Croix Chabot 2015 unfurls flavours of dark fruit and undertones of liquorice and violet. With a delightful lingering finish, it offers a rich and inviting experience for the true wine connoisseur.

Vinous (91-93)

Shimmering violet color. Primary red and blue fruit aromas, along with suggestions of olive, smoked meat and cracked pepper. Offers fleshy, appealingly sweet cherry and blackberry flavors that turn spicier and firm up through the back half. Subtly chewy tannins add grip to a long, smoky finish that leaves cherry and spice notes behind.

Wine Advocate (96+)

In complete contrast to the sexy, flamboyant les Granits, the tiny production 2012 Saint Joseph le Clos (which comes from a vineyard just a couple kilometers from the les Granits) is firm, tight and structured, with edgy notes of cassis, blackberry, powdered rock and ground herbs. Full-bodied, concentrated and rich, it needs 3-4 years in the cellar, and will have two decades of longevity. This is almost non-existent in the marketplace, but it's worth the effort to track down.

Jeb Dunnuck (97)

I've loved every vintage of this cuvée and the 2018 Saint Joseph Le Clos is undoubtedly with the best of them. Incredibly complex notes of black raspberries, flowers, lavender, bouquet garni, and a terrific sense of elegance all emerge from the glass, and this full-bodied beauty has a silky, elegant texture, great tannins, and one seriously lengthy finish. It shows more spice and meaty nuances with time in the glass and this is more Hermitage than your classic Saint Joseph. Enjoy bottles any time over the coming 20 years.

Jeb Dunnuck (97)

A more reductive, meaty, backward effort than normal, the 2018 Saint Joseph Les Granits is all Syrah that comes from unquestionably one of the top terroirs in Saint-Joseph. It was vinified in concrete tanks and aged in a mix of barrels and demi-muids, 20% being new. It blossoms with air and reveals an almost Hermitage-like class and minerality, with killer crème de cassis and black raspberry fruits supported by loads of smoked game, saddle leather, crushed stone, barbecue smoke, garrigue, and violet-like aromas and flavors. Just incredible on the palate as well, with medium to full-bodied richness, awesome tannins, and a liquid rock-like minerality, this tour de force from Saint-Joseph ranks with the finest vintage of this cuvée ever made and matches the 2015, although it shows a very different style. It should be snatched up by readers. It will need 3-5 years of bottle age and will drink brilliantly over the following 20 years or more.

Jeb Dunnuck (97)

A killer wine as always, the 2018 Saint Joseph Les Granits Blanc reveals a medium gold color as well as powerful notes of white currants, toasted spices, brioche, quince, and crushed rock. With beautiful richness, medium to full body, no hard edges and a great finish, it's consistently one of the great whites in the appellation.

Jeb Dunnuck (95)

The 2019 Saint Joseph Silice Blanc is a gorgeous white based on 100% Marsanne. Loads of stony mineral notes as well as white flowers and white currants define this full-bodied, rich, concentrated beauty. Remarkably pure, it offers subtle background oak, flawless balance, and a great, great finish. This is another head-turning wine from this incredible estate. Enjoy bottles over the coming decade.

Vinous (93-95)

A highly fragrant bouquet evokes ripe, mineral-accented black/blue fruits, Moroccan spices, olive and candied flowers, along with a smoky mineral element that builds as the wine opens up. Juicy, energetic and focused on the palate, offering appealingly sweet boysenberry, cherry preserve and violet pastille flavors that deepen steadily through the midpalate. The floral note resonates on the impressively long finish, which features well-knit tannins and a smoky mineral quality.

Incredibly focused aromas of lifted black cherries and dark chocolate-coated violet creams dominate, before the concentrated, mouthcoating blackcurrant fruit pervades the palate. However, it is the pure energy of the wine, along with the harmonious concentration of fruit and freshness, and the fine yet pertinent tannins that is really impressive here. This is a truly lovely, powerful yet balanced Saint Joseph.

Experience the exquisite taste of Georges Lelektsoglou Saint-Joseph Trois Freres 2020, crafted meticulously from the prestigious vineyards of Rhône Valley, France. This compelling red is a product of authentic viticultural savoir-faire and passion. Renowned producer Georges Lelektsoglou has curated a blend coupling the intensity of Syrah bolstered by the delicacy of Marsanne Roussanne. This wine is a product of traditional vinification methods; the grapes are hand-picked, followed by partial destemming and careful ageing in both wooden vats and barrels.

The Georges Lelektsoglou Saint-Joseph Trois Freres 2020 emits an inviting aroma of dark fruit with an undertone of spice and licorice. It is well-structured, complex, offering an impeccable balance of engaging tannins and vibrant acidity; it culminates in an impressively enduring finish. This fine wine pairs harmoniously with robust dishes, greatly enhancing the dining experience.

Jeb Dunnuck (96)

One of the whites of the vintage in the appellation, the 2020 Saint Joseph Lieu-Dit Saint Joseph Blanc has awesome notes of quince, grilled peach, honeysuckle, and spicy wood. With medium to full-bodied richness, the balance is perfect, its oak is nicely integrated, and it has a great finish.

Wine Spectator (96)

This ripples with stunning raspberry and boysenberry coulis flavors, inlaid liberally with anise and apple wood notes and carrying through the well-defined finish. Lush in feel overall, with a mocha note draped over everything, keeping terrific energy in reserve. Best from 2020 through 2030.

Jancis Robinson (18+)

Tasted at the domaine. Beautiful nose with succulent pastille juiciness and purity with a strong smoked note. Such ripeness on the palate with beautiful depth and weight – the tannins are defined and sculpted – hard to believe it has 100% new oak. Plush and forward in a beautifully packaged, layered finish.

Vinous (91)

Opaque ruby. Primary cherry, cassis, peony and olive qualities on the perfumed nose, along with hints of cracked pepper and licorice in the background. Sweet and seamless in texture, offering concentrated black and blue fruit flavors that unfold slowly and turn spicier with air. The long, velvety finish features supple tannins and leaves behind a sweet dark berry note.

Vinous (95)

Deep magenta. Displays highly perfumed red and blue fruit preserve, floral, spice and mineral qualities on the expansive nose. Juicy and broad on the palate, offering ripe blueberry, black raspberry and candied violet flavors that tighten up slowly and become spicier with aeration. Blends the power of this vintage deftly with energy and finishes wonderfully long and precise, with the blue fruit and floral notes repeating.

The Laurent Habrard Saint-Joseph 2021 is a rare gem in the world of fine wines. Produced in the esteemed vineyards of Rhône Valley in France, this exquisite varietal embodies the rich terroir and meticulous vinification process. Laurent Habrard, a fourth-generation winemaker, ensures its traditional family techniques such as organic farming are safeguarded whilst innovating to consistently produce unprecedented quality.

The Laurent Habrard Saint-Joseph 2021 showcases the Syrah grape, presenting a wine laced with complex aromas of black fruits, pepper and licorice backed by a balanced, meaty palate. Aged 12 months in French oak barrels, it acquires a subtle vanilla touch, coupled with a long-lasting, profound finish.

This wine is a quintessentially multidimensional, reflecting the passion, dedication, and craftsmanship of Laurent Habrard. Connoisseurs will find the Laurent Habrard Saint-Joseph 2021 a delightful addition to their collection, a testament to the sublime finesse and elegance of Laurent Habrard's winemaking philosophy.

Vinous (91)

Bright violet. Mineral-accented cherry, dark berry and violet scents are complicated by hints of olive, cracked pepper and licorice. Seamless and broad on the palate, offering juicy blackberry and bitter cherry flavors that become sweeter and livelier with air. A subtle floral pastille note appears on the clinging finish, which shows good delineation and harmonious tannins.

James Suckling (98)

St. Joseph is often declared to be a second tier appellation in the Northern Rhone, but here’s proof that it can play in the first league of the region. This has an incredibly deep nose of ripe blackberries, other forest berries and smoke. On the barely full-bodied palate it is simultaneously rich, focused and extremely complex with very graceful fine tannins and stacks of stony minerality at the breathtakingly fresh finish. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.

Vinous (92)

The 2016 Ridge Pinot Noir comes from vines located at 325 meters, the highest that Hannes Storm farms, east-facing with a prevailing southeasterly wind that creates a cooler site and longer hangtime. It was matured in 25% new oak for 11 months. It is more youthful in appearance compared to the Ignis, the nose very cohesive with black cherry, raspberry preserve, crushed stone and light wilted rose petal aromas. The fresh, poised palate is medium-bodied with crisp acidity and perhaps the edgiest tannins of Storm’s 2016s. Long with a touch of spice on the finish, this is an excellent Pinot Noir. It’s a shame only 250 cases were produced.

Tim Atkin MW (94)

Hannes Storm's whites have shifted up a gear in 2022 and are fast approaching the same level as his lauded Pinot Noirs. This stylish Chardonnay showcases grapes from a south-east facing parcel at 330 metres on the Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge. Fermented in a combination of 32% new barrels and 10% clay amphoras, it's a chiselled, pithy, focused white with lots of zip, lemongrass and orange zest flavours and subtle aromatic spices.

Tim Atkin MW (95)

As its name suggests, this hails from a cool shale site on the Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge, planted as recently as 2009. It combines the density of Vrede with the perfume of Ignis, making it Hannes Storm’s most complete Pinot, with floral scents, red cherry and raspberry fruit, savoury tannins and focused acidity.

Tim Atkin MW (96)

Ridge is often the most backward of Hannes Storm's trio of remarkable single vineyard Pinot Noirs, sourced from an east-facing, high-density planting at 330 metres at La Vierge on the Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge. Plum, black cherry and a hint of graphite are underpinned by plenty of grip, backbone and intensity. One to tuck away for a while.