St-Joseph 2024: The best wines brimming with peppery spice

Clos Florentin had an incredible fragrance from barrel, peppery and distinctly floral this year. It has a satin texture and is so fine and light in body. It's sapid, with good acidity, all in all very attractive, light in structure, and well balanced.

Black pepper, berry fruits and a touch of smoky bacon on the nose really makes you want to dive in. In the mouth it's light-bodied, fresh and drinkable. The oak work is subtle, well integrated, and it all leads to a lifted finish. A joy to drink. Not a big, powerful St-Joseph to age, more one to drink young, with much pleasure. Destemmed, no pigeage, no new oak.

Lovely fresh peppery nose, quintessentially northern Rhône. It's generously rounded but not fat on the palate, satin-textured and well balanced. Textbook stuff. So light, but so expressive. Ethereal. Highly recommended.

Bright and floral style with exuberant blackberries, liquorice, hibiscus and violets. A well balanced, fresh and expressive wine. A light- to medium-bodied,expression with gentle, fine tannins and bay leaf to finish. All about freshness and vibrancy this year. 80% whole bunch.

A tasting of the component barrels suggest that this will be a balanced, fresh and saline vintage rather than a structured or powerful one. Les Challaix was expressive, tight and vivid. Bachasson was very fresh, with its characteristic floral rose aromas, with iron-tinged tannins; La Dardouille provides the richness and generosity of fruit. Very promising.

The nose is dominated by cinnamon, nutmeg and clove oak spice. The palate is rounded, ripe, concentrated but fresh, very impressive. The fruit is ripe enough to handle the oak and it finishes fresh and long. This will take a long time to digest its oak, but will be excellent in time. Will appear very oaky if you drink it young. Old vines, destemmed, aged in 100% new oak barriques.

A touch of menthol and clove from the oak, which is present on the palate too, this will take a little while to integrate. It's very good quality however, has length and line, is a well-balanced and well-made oaked example. From the estate's oldest vines, 20% whole bunch, aged in barriques and demi-muids.

Darker in fruit than some 2024s, this is introverted for now, very young. It's ripe on the palate, easy to like, welcoming and enticing. Lovely weight of fruit, and well-judged oak that doesn't dominate. This has ample length and concentration, it's a good pick this year. From 60-year-old vines, all destemmed, granitic terroir near Mauves, 15% new oak.

The nose is very promising, showing complexity already, with defined spices, smoke and berry fruits. No lack of concentration here, plenty of fruit, really mouthfilling, all contained in a dense tannic weave. Fresh from start to finish, well balanced with a long finish. This could be really excellent in time, I might be underrating this. From the oldest vines of the domaine, all whole bunch, all natural yeasts.

Gorgeous nose of pink and black peppercorn and raspberry. It's very juicy, showing raspberry on the palate too, and it's lifted and spicy. Good acidity, well balanced. A joyful St-Joseph, no heaviness or excesses, just lovely drinkability. For a St-Jo to drink young, this is a great option. So fresh. From a vineyard in Chavanay, 25% whole bunch, 25% new oak.

A pert, red-fruited style, bright and juicy, luminous raspberry flavours go long into the finish. Cedary oak helps to tuck everything in. Atypical in its red-fruitedness and raspberryish acidity. But it's precise, tense and enjoyable. I would drink young, but could surprise with age.

Spicy, peppery nose with star anise and clove. Attractive freshness, subtle floral notes behind the spice and smoke. Compact, well balanced and highly drinkable style, with good length. An elegant, appealing St-Joseph that doesn't shout, it's just quietly confident.

A peppery nose leads to a light-bodied style, but there's no lack of intensity to the fruit. The finish is smoky, with slightly fibrous tannins. More about spice, smoke and structure than fruit. Very mineral, granitic, savoury style.

Deep, herbal menthol freshness is followed by a lovely bright, fresh palate. There's a good sense of ripeness to the fruit and zesty acidity. No great length, but a fantastic burst of fruit, and a lick of granite on the finish. Very mineral style.

Touch of black pepper on the nose. This is a medium-bodied, elegant style, with a captivating texture. Fresh and well balanced, snappy and drinkable. Not long, but very digestible. Enjoyable powdered-stone tannic texture.

Juicy, fresh, classic St-Joseph fruit leads to a pleasing driving mineral crunch on the long finish. Really granitic, in a lifted, crunchy style.

Beautiful nose, a dizzying array of flowers and spices, just wonderful. Light-bodied, with pink peppercorns on the palate. Just a light touch of tannin on the tip of the tongue, this is all about the aromatics. Fine and elegant. I would drink young.

Spicy, fresh and peppery aromas. Precise, mineral, slim, granitic style. Not a generously fruited St-Joseph, this is more structured, fine-boned. Light-bodied, all about texture and rock. Oak work is robust, but it works well, and will meld in time.

Full-bodied, rich, ripe and powerful. Tannic, punchy and concentrated for a 2024. A plush style, but not excessively oaky, that will need a while to come round. Certainly drinkable young too, on the fruit.

Tobacco notes on the nose, then delicious generosity of texture and fresh berry fruit on the palate. Rose, raspberry, violet characters shine through. Good length. The oak work is quite present, so give this time, but it's still elegant. Juicy, fresh, very drinkable.