Gabriel Meffre, Saint-Etienne, Saint Joseph, Rhône, 2010

Tasting: Saint Joseph 2010

Light, dusty cherry nose. Medium-bodied and rather slack, this lacks freshness and drive. Very middle of the road, with no rough edges but little personality either. Medium length.

Tasting: Saint Joseph 2010

An attractive nose of black cherry, bacon rind, lavender and mint leads to a nicely poised palate where the interplay between the aromatic, the sweet and the spicy, is finely judged. A touch drying on the finish, the wine has nonetheless an impressive structure and good mid-palate weight.

Tasting: Saint Joseph 2010

Pine, bosky woods air, a local style, the fruit seasoned with mint. The black stone fruit is mildly sweet and so easy to taste and enjoy, the tannins fit into it closely. A good exmaple of local, unpretentious St. Joseph, as if from St. Jean de Muzols, one that drinks well now. Country foods with this tradiitonal wine. Has the meat stock, gravy notes of an age gone by on the aftertaste, before winemaking became more forensic.