Joe Weinberger

9.3

Never mad about opening Gonon. Delicious as always. Will be really incredible years down the line. — 7 months ago

romo

9.2

As can be seen, got the last dregs. Way more herbal than the Gonon, but still a youngster at 16. — 4 months ago

Ron Siegel

9.4

Always a treat from the master of SJ showing dark fruits, meat, olive, pepper, spice & violets — 9 months ago

Ron Siegel

9.3

Just a great drinking SJ that is not far behind the level of Gonon showing dark fruits, mineral, meat, licorice, earth, blood, spice, olive, violet & tobacco notes. Wow, what a great wine at $50! — 2 years ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.8

For me the current best wine in St. Joseph. Just a stunning stunning expression of St. Jo. Nose is insane. The most detailed olives ever. Just gorgeous. Also herbs de Provence and so much granitic intensity. Also dark flowers. Dark blueberry fruit and dark berry fruit. Just so deep, intense and utterly brilliant. I love this wine. Wow that palate. So so elegant and juicy and with achingly beautiful finesse. My god this is so delicate and I am sorry but this has more elegance than. Gonon. Just wow. The concentration is off the charts and my goodness the inner mouth olive flavors intermingled with wild mint are to die for. Unreal refined and classy tannins and is juicy, balanced and perfect. Wow. Can’t wait to see what air does. 9.8 for now. With some short term air the nose is just crazy. So complex and floral. So sleek and juicy and man those tannins are all class. The quality of the fruit is exquisite! — 3 months ago

Daniel veit

8.9

Aromas of honeycomb, beeswax, apricot and orange blossom. Deep golden color, a charming wine especially great for those who do not enjoy citrus centered aka high acid whites. Fun to taste. — 7 months ago

Jay Kline

9.4

I met up with a buddy who is a huge Napa guy. It’s what he knows and to his credit, he has great knowledge of producers and has good taste. We decided to grab a bite at Buvette and he asked if I would pick out the bottle. He said he trusted my judgment, so I walked over to the Rhone wall and noticed the 2019 Jean-Louis Chave Saint-Joseph. Knowing the style, I figured it would touch some of the things he would be familiar with, particularly right now in its youth.

Popped and poured; no formal notes. The 2019 Saint-Joseph pours a deep purple color that stains the glass. On the nose, the wine is fresh and redolent of ripe black fruits and some blue fruits: blackberries and other dark brambly fruits along with some blueberries. The non-fruits were also there: beautiful purple flowers, black pepper, rocky minerals and some lovely vanilla and baking spices. On the palate, the wine was big, full-bodied and had great structure, nearing that medium+ range across the board. The acid is fantastic and the finish was long and savory. It’s easy to draw comparisons between Chave and Gonon as anymore, they share a similar price point and both are known leaders in the appellation. From my perspective, the Chave S-J comes across a bit more focused on the fruit, floral and spice characteristics while the Gonon S-J highlights the bacon fat and rotundone. Otherwise, both are excellent examples. FWIW, my buddy loved the wine (chalk one up for the Old World!) and it was an excellent pairing with our braised short ribs. Drink now to enjoy its youth or enjoy through 2034+. — 2 years ago

Freddy R. Troya

9.2

The Mâcon-Vergisson, Cuvée Antonine Lachaize is a distinctive Chardonnay sourced with grapes from less than 6 miles from Mâcon, sharing and facing same terroir of the famous domaine “Roche de Salutré, it provides an authentic baked pear aromas, well-balanced on the mid-range palate with some yellow apples taste and a very soft toasted notes. Barely any cream or butter-like mouthfeel, and stays on the lighter side, not lingering finish. — 3 months ago

romo

9.5

Last week Duncan told me to open these. Holy shit. Wife drank most of it. Bought on release, all the adolescent tannin and hyper fruit have mellowed. Reminds me of Gonon with the salinity, the focus, and the scary balance at 14.7%. A meditation. — 6 months ago

Ron Siegel

9.3

Great producer of St Joseph just a couple of notches under Gonon. — a year ago