St-Joseph 2021: report and top-scoring wines

A touch of rubbery reduction on the nose for now. It's full-bodied, fairly concentrated, and generous. There’s wonderful freshness, a particularly strong mineral expression. Finishes on a touch of toasty oak. A great vintage of Les Granits. A very granitic expression from an east-facing plot in lieu-dit St-Joseph, near Mauves.

Medium-bodied, with really quite driving acidity giving a great sense of energy and tension. The oak is well balanced, this has great natural power, but no heaviness or excess weight. Wait a year for further aromatic complexity to emerge. Hand-harvested old-vine Marsanne grown on granite. Fermented in 228-litre oak barriques then left on fine lees until the malolactic is finished.

Deeper in colour than most 2021s. Lovely bright zesty nectarine notes on the nose, that come through on the palate. This is seriously concentrated and powerful, and already drinking well. Zesty, crisp acidity helps to rein in the rich, opulent fruit, giving a long finish. This will work well on the dinner table. Domaine Garon is fast becoming one of the best domaines in the northern part of the northern Rhône.

Intense nectarine and pear aromas that follow through to the palate. There's a touch of sweetness on the mid-palate that is quite flattering. Fairly full-bodied in style, it would be quite opulent if it wasn't for the freshness and acidity that helps to rein it in and give it a long finish. From old vines grown on granite, on south-southeast-facing slopes. Malo completed, weekly battonage.

A lovely light and floral style on the nose, and on the palate it’s only medium-bodied this year, not as rich as a typical vintage, and much higher in acidity. Vibrant and zesty. Fermented in fûts and old barriques, this spends a year on the lees.

Peach, almond and apricot flesh, this has a really lovely nose, and it follows through to the palate. Beautifully harmonious, nicely ripe but not excessively so. The use of oak is discrete. This is perfectly balanced, a really lovely, classic example of fine white St-Joseph that’s also soft and approachable. From 40-year-old vines grown on granite. Half is aged in recently used but not new oak barrels.

Honeycomb, meringue and a subtle nuttiness to the nose. It's full-bodied, quite broad and silky. Rich pear and apple compote on the palate, finishing dry and long. A fairly rich style of St-Joseph in what can be a lean vintage. Grown on schist and gneiss soils at 310m altitude.

Decidedly oaky on the nose, with plenty of cinnamon and nutmeg spice. It’s silky on the palate, not quite as concentrated as some years but very fresh, with well-balanced acidity. It’s full-bodied and really quite toasty and oaky, but it's still a compelling wine. I would drink this younger than usual. Guigal has 5.5ha of this lieu-dit, 2.5ha of which are white varieties, and these are planted at the top of the hill. Aged in oak barriques, 50% new, 50% one-year-old.

Very pale in colour. Aromas of nut butter and a touch of macadamia lead onto a full-bodied, rich palate that has a good sense of freshness despite the low acidity. Gentle pear and honeysuckle notes come through, with a touch of aniseed. The fruit is from Chavanay, on granite soils: La Côte and La Voturerie. All matured in demi-muids, no new oak. Malolactic fermentation was completed.