"Textural beauty stands out here, with rich, meaty chewiness to core of black currant, singed orange peel, lavender, mocha, leather and creamy bacon fat. In beautiful harmony now, this has years of life ahead, with salty, briny vibrancy from start to finish. Cigar box, baking spice, grilled mesquite and pleasing blast of menthol freshness at the end, held together with fine yet present tannins. Stunning. Drink now through 2040."

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"The 2022 Saint Joseph Le Clos is much more inward and structured, with a terrific sense of reduction in its red and black fruits, smoked meats, game, black pepper, and gunpowder-like aromatics. These carry to a medium to full-bodied Saint Joseph that's flawlessly balanced, has a layered, elegant mouthfeel, ripe tannins, and a great finish. Drink 2025-2040."

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"The 2021 Saint-Joseph Le Clos comes from an east-facing parcel Michel purchased in the early 1990s at the urging of his grandfather, who told him it produced the finest wine of the appellation before World War II. Planted in the late 1990s, it has yielded a 2021 redolent with scents of menthol, cedar and mixed red and black cherries. Only medium-bodied, it seems less expansive on the palate than the les Granites bottling, but perhaps it's a bit more structured and firmer yet still silky and harmonious."

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"A superb Saint-Joseph, focused, vibrant and pure. It expresses notes of wild berries, dried flowers, raw chocolate, peppercorns, crushed stones and hints of roasted meat. It is medium-bodied with finely grained tannins. There is plenty of energy and drive, with bright acidity. The vertical dimension in this wine is obvious, with a dense and comforting core of berries and a mineral-driven, laser-focused finish with length. Drink or hold."

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"A superb Saint Joseph, capable of rivaling those produced by the local vignerons, Chapoutier's 2020 Saint-Joseph Le Clos offers up nicely perfumed aromas of licorice, blueberries and cassis. Full-bodied, earthy and powerful in the mouth, it's a rich, muscular style of Saint Joseph, loaded with ripe tannins and finishing long and textured."

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"Lots of smoke and smoked bacon character in the nose, but also the blackest forest berries and a whiff of tar. Concentrated, compact and cool with a wonderful wild herb freshness and a pretty radical stony minerality. Then you come back and find violets and licorice. As the wine aerates the minerality gets more and more intense. From an east-facing parcel with granitic soil. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification. Drinkable now, but best from 2025."

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"Slightly wild in the nose, but in a very exciting way, this is a deep and complex St.-Joseph. Powerful and meaty with a serious tannin structure that will enable it to age for many years. Forest-floor character emerges as it aerates. Very concentrated and firm finish. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification. Drinkable now, but best from 2025."

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"From east-facing vines that were planted at the end of the 1990s, Chapoutier's 2019 Saint-Joseph Le Clos offers up scents of crushed stone, blackberries, cassis and hints of scorched coffee. Full-bodied, concentrated and rich, it's dense, creamy textured and plush on the mid-palate, finishing long and velvety. I suspect I may be underestimating it. Drink Date: 2023-2035."

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"This dense, muscular wine shows a stunning, tightly coiled mélange of blackberry confit, red currant and earth punctuated by white pepper and charred alder. Reveals notes of clove and crushed herbs with time in glass, but this needs years before it fully expresses its full potential. Best from 2025 through 2035. 5 cases imported."

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