St-Joseph 2020: report and top-scoring wines
A successful vintage for both red and white St-Joseph wines, Matt Walls discovers great value and early-drinking capacity for the 2020s.
This is a very fine vintage for St-Joseph, with excellent red and white wines to be found along the length of the appellation.
Scroll down for tasting notes and scores for the top scoring St-Joseph 2020 wines
There are many exceptional wines from small but outstanding granite terroirs to be found for less than £40 per bottle.
There are plenty of bright, fresh and balanced wines to choose from, almost all of which will drink well immediately.
See the Rhône 2020 full vintage report and top-scoring wines
See all 400 Rhône 2020 tasting notes and scores
The less impressive examples are more typically due to clumsy handling – over-extraction, over-oaking or excessive reduction.
Bastien Jolivet, who has vineyards in the central part of St-Joseph, says he witnessed a gradual ripening with no blockages, thanks to a succession of small showers of around 10mm during the summer.
He believes the reds will last longer than the 2015s and the 2018s.
Quick links
Northern Rhône 2020 full report and top scoring wines
Cornas and St-Péray | Côte-Rôtie and Condrieu, | Hermitage | Crozes-Hermitage
St-Joseph 2020 key producers
Domaine Bernard Gripa
Domaine Faury
Domaine JL Chave
Domaine Martine & Christian Rouchier
M Chapoutier
Vignobles Chirat
St-Joseph 2020 top value wines
Domaine Bernard Gripa, Blanc, St-Joseph, 2020
Domaine Faury, Blanc, St-Joseph, 2020
Vignobles Chirat, Chays d’Oeuvre Blanc, St-Joseph, 2020
Domaine Faury, Hedonism Rouge, St-Joseph, 2020
Domaine Jolivet, L’Instinct Rouge, St-Joseph, 2020
Domaine Martine & Christian Rouchier, La Chave Rouge, St-Joseph, 2020
See the Northern Rhône 2020 score table listing Matt’s top 98 wines scoring 94 points or above
See Matt’s top St-Joseph 2020 tasting notes and scores:
Related content:
Rhône 2020 full report and top scoring wines
Northern Rhône 2020 full report and top scoring wines
Southern Rhône 2020 full report and top scoring wines
Domaine Gonon, Les Oliviers, St-Joseph, Rhône, France, 2020
Vibrant nectarine notes on the nose, you just know this is going to have some tangy acidity on the palate even before you taste it....
2020
Domaine GononSt-Joseph
Domaine Bernard Gripa, Le Berceau, St-Joseph, Rhône, France, 2020
A little honeycomb oak on the nose, the palate is broad but not overly fat. There's a good sense of intensity and energy in the...
2020
Domaine Bernard GripaSt-Joseph
M Chapoutier, Les Granits Blanc, St-Joseph, Rhône, France, 2020
A relatively brisk and fresh style of Les Granits this year, well balanced, with an upright mineral spine. The acidity is spot-on, giving the wine...
2020
M ChapoutierSt-Joseph
Vignobles Chirat, Chays d'Oeuvre, St-Joseph, Rhône, France, 2020
Pear and honeysuckle, the Roussanne really stands out in the blend. Rich, gently oily in texture, this has more intensity and concentration than most this...
2020
Vignobles ChiratSt-Joseph
Domaine Coursodon, Paradis Saint Pierre, St-Joseph, Rhône, France, 2020
A rounded, concentrated and pleasingly ripe style of white Saint-Joseph. This has a gently oily texture, the alcohol is a little raised, but it's a...
2020
Domaine CoursodonSt-Joseph
Domaine Faury, St-Joseph, Rhône, France, 2020
Musky lime on the nose. Middleweight style, this is fresh and precise with good acidity. Vibrant and zesty on the finish, making for a bright...
2020
Domaine FaurySt-Joseph
E Guigal, Lieu-dit Saint-Joseph, St-Joseph, Rhône, France, 2020
Intense, tangy pear and almond nougat, preserved lemon and oak spice. Full-bodied but not as massive as some years, this is very well-balanced, the oak...
2020
E GuigalSt-Joseph
Ferraton Père & Fils, Les Oliviers, St-Joseph, Rhône, France, 2020
The oak component is quite pronounced at this stage, but should settle in time and is nicely integrated on the palate. The acidity is well-balanced,...
2020
Ferraton Père & FilsSt-Joseph
Martine & Christian Rouchier, La Chave, St-Joseph, Rhône, France, 2020
Gorgeous lifted fragrance, at once peppery and floral. Bay leaf aromas from the stems. The fullest in body of Domaine Rouchier’s reds, but still only...
2020
Martine & Christian RouchierSt-Joseph
M Chapoutier, Le Clos, St-Joseph, Rhône, France, 2020
Dense black fruit overlaid with violets - very much in the Mauves style of Saint-Joseph. Peppery and spicy. Full-bodied without heaviness, this feels dense but...
2020
M ChapoutierSt-Joseph
Domaine Faury, La Gloriette, St-Joseph, Rhône, France, 2020
Not as explosively aromatic as Faury's Hedonism cuvée, this has a deep aromatic presence that's more herbal and smoky, with lifted violets and smoky bacon....
2020
Domaine FaurySt-Joseph
Domaine JL Chave, Clos Florentin, St-Joseph, Rhône, France, 2020
Le Clos exhibits its usual exceptional balance this year: it's very ripe in fruit but slender on the palate, with tannins like 100% cacao. Bright,...
2020
Domaine JL ChaveSt-Joseph
Domaine Faury, Hedonism, St-Joseph, Rhône, France, 2020
I love the nose! It bursts out of the glass, so distinctive, so complex - tangy blackberry, juniper, burnt herbs and pine resin. Only light-bodied,...
2020
Domaine FaurySt-Joseph
Xavier Gérard, Le Blanchard, St-Joseph, Rhône, France, 2020
Fresh oregano, then deep blackberry fruit on the palate. There's a deep menthol side to the wine, focused acidity and great freshness. The alcohol is...
2020
Xavier GérardSt-Joseph
Domaine Guy Farge, Passion de Terrasses, St-Joseph, Rhône, France, 2020
A savoury, mouthwatering aromatic expression of bay leaves and juniper berries ground into smoked sausage. Medium weight, this is an appetising style with perfectly balanced...
2020
Domaine Guy FargeSt-Joseph
Domaine JL Chave, St-Joseph, Rhône, France, 2020
All the lieux-dits I tasted that make up this domaine's Saint-Joseph were showing well and expressed their typical characters, this promising to be a precise...
2020
Domaine JL ChaveSt-Joseph
Domaine du Monteillet, Cuvée de Papy, St-Joseph, Rhône, France, 2020
Light-bodied, but so fresh and perky. Intense violets, a touch of liquorice, all carried by oak spice on very fine tannins. Old vine Syrah grown...
2020
Domaine du MonteilletSt-Joseph
Domaine Gonon, St-Joseph, Rhône, France, 2020
A classic expression of Saint-Joseph - fruit melded with black olive - this has body but is light in tannin, while the acidity is low...
2020
Domaine GononSt-Joseph
Domaine Guy Farge, Terroir de Granit, St-Joseph, Rhône, France, 2020
Smoky bacon notes on the nose, this is medium-bodied, with expressive, juicy ripe fruit, a savoury slant and no excess sweetness, plus a supporting beam...
2020
Domaine Guy FargeSt-Joseph
Domaine Laurent Habrard, Sainte Épine, St-Joseph, Rhône, France, 2020
Fresh, herbal nose, neither overly ripe nor extracted. Extremely drinkable, with intense, gently grainy tannins, this has plenty of intensity, energy and texture. It feels...
2020
Domaine Laurent HabrardSt-Joseph
Emmanuel Darnaud, Lieu-dit La Dardouille, St-Joseph, Rhône, France, 2020
Lovely authentic fruit, there's a touch of maltiness in with the blackberry and blackcurrant. Medium-bodied, fresh and aerial in style, with no excess weight or...
2020
Emmanuel DarnaudSt-Joseph
Vignobles Chirat, Soliste, St-Joseph, Rhône, France, 2020
A fairly rich, ripe style of St-Joseph, and one with good freshness. Black olive, a touch of rosemary but no strong whole-bunch aroma. Medium- to...
2020
Vignobles ChiratSt-Joseph
