Top 10 St. Joseph Producers

St. Joseph has exploded in popularity the last 10 years with Jean and Pierre Gonon lifting the appellation on top of the wave of their brilliant wines. Before they became popular, St. Joseph was often overlooked and many wines were less than inspiring. Also, the region was hit hard by phyloxera in the middle of the 19th century. But now there are so many great producers it is difficult to sort out. We’ve been going to the Northern Rhone for the past 4 straight years and have learned a tremendous amount and tasted even more. Today I bring my top 10. I have starred out the producers with whom we have a direct relationship.


Jean and Pierre Gonon - The undisputed champ have been making soil-inflected, soul crushing St. Joseph for decades but only caught on in the USA when my old boss, Davjd Lillie, imported them directly to Chambers Street Wines starting with the '04 vintage. Ageable like only the best wines can be and they actually really need age. Try and find the rare VV cuvee to have one of the greatest Syrah experiences anywhere in the world. For a real thrill try the St. Joseph Blanc which, for me, is the best white of the whole appellation.

Bernard & Fabrice Gripa - Based literally across the street from Jean-Louis Chave, the Gripa family makes stunning St. Joseph’s in a structured and deep style that takes years to unwind. The cuvees here to get are the St. Joseph Le Berceau Blanc and Rouge which are some of the deepest, most complex and structured wines in the appellation. These demand age and require 5-7 hour decants when young. The regular St. Joseph is lovely and can be drunk on the young side but will age. These tend to have darker fruit than the Gonon wines.

Jean-Louis Chave - Despite only making one estate St. Joseph (not including the negociant “Offerus” here) it has to be on this list as it as majestic as Chave Hermitage. Deep, structured, dense and pure beyond belief this is a vin de garde but I don’t see it going as long as Gonon or the Gripa “Le Berceau” cuvees. It is full of flavor and character but has always seemed a bit plump to me, which makes me thing it won’t last as long as the others I mentioned above.

Jean-Claude Marsanne - The wines are bloody, characterful, soulful and dripping with dark fruits are what to expect from these classic and sublime St. Josephs. They also have great acidity and freshness. Very layered wines. He also makes a fantastic white but, for me, it needs 5-7 years of age to show well. But after those 5-7 years it is terrific. He is a huge sleeper on this list.

Andre Perret - For the elegant and mineral infused style there is no one better than Andre Perret. His regular and “Les Grisiers” cuvees are exercises in classic St. Joseph with wonderful restraint, freshness and and structure. These don’t hit you over the head but are truly lovely wines for lovers of finesse and restraint.

Emmanuel Darnaud - He makes a microscopic amount of stunning St. Joseph from a plot his father-in-law, Bernard Faurie gave to him. Very old vines and poor soils have launched this wine into a sensation amongst the wine cognoscenti. Structured and intense with old vine sap and lots of dimension. He knows it is great and prices it like that. Very hard to find.

Bernard Faurie - Faurie’s St. Joseph is an uncompromising classic with stern tannins, bold fruit and tons of gravel notes. So reliable and always great.

**Domaine de ******* ******** - For a St. Joseph to drink now for its sheer fruit and a very high degree of pleasure there is no one better than Sylvain Gauthier. Full of fruit and layers with lovely earthy/mineral tones and such vivid fruit. He also makes a tiny bit of St. Joseph “Sans Soufre” which is a rockstar and the value here (both under $30) cannot be overstated.

Domaine Habrard - Another estate that is on here for a single St. Joseph from the micro terroir St. Epine which is absolutely one of the best wines in the appellation. Ridiculous amount of fruit. Super dense and sweet. Really sweet fruit that is original and compelling. Huge amounts of mineral. The wine has a tremendous amount of character. From .6 hectare of 100 year old vines. Simply incredible.

Aurelian Chatagnier - Pure and crystal clean and a white on the level of Gonon/Gripa. Bloody, meaty, vivid, fresh and juicy style. Touch of new wood sets everything off perfectly. Amazing acids here.

Warning: I own a stake in a wine retailer that may have sold these wines in the past or may sell these wines in the future. Obviously, we will try to sell wines that we think are best in class. This is not an offer as we are not selling any of them now. If my writing does inspire you to buy these wines, please buy them from someone else. Better yet, save your money and spend it on something else. Like a nice haircut.

Does anyone else have a top St Jo list?

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Missing Faury

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That was the big one missing in my eyes too.

I’m also a big fan of Durand, Gaillard and Becheras. Not sure who I would take out though. Love that Gripa was listed second. So often overlooked. I recently had the 06 Berceau Rouge, flirtysmile

Matthew,

I know you work with/for Lyle at Fass Selections, but I think you should at least acknowledge that what you’re posting was copied/pasted off his blog (unless you’re writing the copy for his blog, in which case, sorry).

I think it’s a fine list and really respect Lyle’s opinion (and I’m sure you cleared it with him before posting here), but something about the copy/paste nature of the whole thing strikes me as odd. Honestly, I wish Lyle would just start posting here again, but if that’s not the case, you might want to be a bit more open about it (especially w/r/t the phrasing (ie: “my top 10”) )

Also Faury is one I’d put in there, too.

I second what Saul said.

More line spaces and some bolding of the names would help, too. It’s very hard to read.

I had a 2011 J. Marsanne and it was compelling. A few years ago a 2000 Guigal Vignes des Hospices was sublime. Last year I opened a 2005 Allemand and was not impressed. Perhaps that is why it was a one-off? Likewise a 2008 Lises (Graillot’s son) was a brett bomb. A 2007 Jean-Michel Gerin was a nice drink but just that.

I’ve picked up a number of the Fass offerings but have not had a chance to try save the J. Marsanne.

What is the aging curve on St. Joe? 15 years N. Rhone? Of course it’s vintage dependent.

Phillip Faury is my go-to as it is available (sometimes) in Hawaii.

I would also have to include Vernay’s two St Josephs, Terres d’Encre and la Dame Brune, both of which fly way below the radar in spite of superlative press; they are baby Cote Roties in St Jo clothing from steep terraced vineyards just south of the appellation boundary. I think I am the only person stateside bringing them in. The finesse that Christine Vernay has brought to the reds is stunning, people have to wake up to this…(she was chosen as the winemaker of the year by Bettane a few years ago…)
It is also essential to clarify what the appellation actually is: a massive catchall for almost everything EXCEPT Cote Rotie, Cornas, and Hermitage. It would be far more useful to speak of the producers and the wines as examples of their respective villages than of St Joseph, because the name St Jo sort of means very little.

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Saul - I collaborate with Lyle on our thought leadership pieces. Obviously, more of the content is his although I certainly agree with the list.

Every time his name is mentioned, the thread seems to become about him, which generates more heat than light. WB is a great forum for people to learn about wine and we want to contribute to that learning in a positive way. We feel, after much experience, that this is the best way for the threads that we start to be about wine and winemakers and not about us.

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Gripa is brilliant - both reds and whites.

I’ll second (or third or fourth) Faury. Monier-Perreol also make some great wines that I find to be more savory and very much in my wheelhouse. Finally, I recently enjoyed one of Fass’s St.-Jos a great deal: Domaine de la Côte Sainte-Epine St. Joseph Vieilles Vignes. Here’s my note on that one:

2013 Domaine de la Côte Sainte-Epine St. Joseph Vieilles Vignes - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, St. Joseph (3/9/2016)
Much more open for business than I expected. Very St. Jo / Northern Rhone: meat, flowers, salinity/brine. Not too heavy, but good fruit. Very nice. I didn’t find the tannins overbearing. Good.

Posted from CellarTracker

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It’s not about Lyle, Matt. It’s about cutting and pasting something that was partly marketing. We’ve had several people over the last couple of years who were not ITB who cut and pasted from their blogs and tried to raise their profiles. That went over badly. When there’s a vague scent of marketing it’s even less well received.

Cut and pasted posts always sounds canned because they were written for a different audience and a different occasion.

It’s not a capital offense. But just be a little more attuned to the culture here.

As for producers, I’ve had great joy from the Barou St. Josephs over several years. They are most definitely not vins de garde – just honest, fruit-forward, fresh wines. The 2010 has mellowed out very nicely, though, even if it wasn’t a wine you’d normally keep.

You are thought leaders? I thought you were wine floggers.

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It’s a small, small world.

Oh, this has to be a fun search: “joseph” “marsanne”…

I think you pretty much covered the gamut of producers. Time to move onto yet another “undiscovered” region and make it popular!

Yup. And more expensive. Sigh.

There are a lot of other producers, many not imported. Some still fairly cheap.

I’ll pile on the Faury bandwagon, especially the VV. I also am a fan of Graillot, and while the basic Crozes and La Guirode are my go to wines from Graillot, I buy the St. Jo as well.

The Faury VdPdCR is also a screaming value at under $20 bucks…

Gaillard has a place on that list from what I have seen over a few vintages.

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Herve-dawg Soooooo-ho

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Gonon and Faury (especially the VV) for me. I’m surprised not to see love for Domaine Romaneaux-Destezet (Hervé Souhaut) around here.

Edit: I see Hardy beat me to it.