St-Joseph 2021: report and top-scoring wines
Matt Walls guides us through the reds and whites of St-Joseph from this cool, damp vintage, picking out the best wines to try.
Clément Bärtschi, winemaker and cellarmaster at M Chapoutier, saw little frost in St-Joseph in 2021. Nevertheless, the cool, wet season resulted in oscillating quality.
Some wines are excellent, in a fresh, crisp and fragrant style; but the larger proportion lack fruit and joy, with dry, astringent tannins. ‘We’d have called it a lovely vintage – in the 1980s,’ said Jean Gonon of Domaine Gonon.
Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for top-scoring St-Joseph 2021 wines
See all 400 Rhône 2021 tasting notes and scores
See the Rhône 2021 full vintage report and top scoring wines
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M Chapoutier, Les Granits, St-Joseph, Rhône, France 2021
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...
2021
M ChapoutierSt-Joseph
Domaine Bernard Gripa, Le Berceau, St-Joseph, Rhône, France 2021
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...
2021
Domaine Bernard GripaSt-Joseph
Domaine Garon, St-Joseph, Rhône, France 2021
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...
2021
Domaine GaronSt-Joseph
Domaine Coursodon, Paradis Saint Pierre, St-Joseph, Rhône, France 2021
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...
2021
Domaine CoursodonSt-Joseph
Domaine Gonon, Les Oliviers, St-Joseph, Rhône, France 2021
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,...
2021
Domaine GononSt-Joseph
Domaine Guy Farge, Vania, St-Joseph, Rhône, France 2021
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...
2021
Domaine Guy FargeSt-Joseph
Domaine Mucyn, Les Carats, St-Joseph, Rhône, France 2021
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...
2021
Domaine MucynSt-Joseph
E Guigal, Le Lieu Dit, St-Joseph, Rhône, France 2021
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...
2021
E GuigalSt-Joseph
Vignobles Chirat, Chays d'Oeuvre, St-Joseph, Rhône, France 2021
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...
2021
Vignobles ChiratSt-Joseph
Domaine François Merlin, St-Joseph, Rhône, France 2021
Gorgeously fresh, aerial nose, brimming with violets and pounded blueberries. A touch of nutmeg adds to the scent. Smooth, rounded, and surprisingly sweetly approachable for...
2021
Domaine François MerlinSt-Joseph
Domaine Alain Voge, Les Côtes, St-Joseph, Rhône, France 2021
A beguiling nose of rose, pine resin and incense, very unusual. Crisp and red-fruited on the palate, with surging raspberry acidity. Reminiscent of a blonde-side...
2021
Domaine Alain VogeSt-Joseph
Domaine Gonon, St-Joseph, Rhône, France 2021
There’s an appealing touch of oregano to the blackberry fruit. It’s medium-bodied, with good acidity, but not as concentrated as the past few vintages. The...
2021
Domaine GononSt-Joseph
Domaine JL Chave, St-Joseph, Rhône, France 2021
A tasting of the various constituent lieux-dits revealed that the Bachesson parcel had a peppery side and its characteristic rose scent, and an unmistakably granitic...
2021
Domaine JL ChaveSt-Joseph
Lionel Faury, La Gloriette, St-Joseph, Rhône, France 2021
Really gorgeous nose, with oregano, rosemary and menthol. It has the fresh chewy feel of stemmy tannins on the palate; it will require a couple...
2021
Lionel FaurySt-Joseph
Martine & Christian Rouchier, La Chave, St-Joseph, Rhône, France 2021
Aromas of smoky herbs, blackcurrant bush and just-ripe blackberries. There’s good silky fruit on the palate, with a great sense of freshness and purity, this...
2021
Martine & Christian RouchierSt-Joseph
Martine & Christian Rouchier, Luc, St-Joseph, Rhône, France 2021
A smoky, ashy style, reminiscent of extinguished cigars and bay leaves. Searching tannins, which are quite robust. The whole-bunch element is very pronounced, and it...
2021
Martine & Christian RouchierSt-Joseph
