Saint Joseph Rouge, J-L Chave 2022

The 2022 Saint Joseph is classic Saint Joseph with its darker currant, plum, and cassis-driven fruits as well as incredible minerality. It's deep, medium to full-bodied, has lots of tannins, the classic austerity of the appellation, and a great finish. It's going to need some bottle age, but you can easily put this up with the crème de la crème of the appellation.

This iconic estate continues to hold the line on what constitutes a truly great Hermitage, both red and white, and there are few vinous treats better than a tasting with Jean-Louis Chave in his cellar in Mauve. Looking at the wines reviewed here, the 2022s were tasted from barrel, and this is a ripe, sunny, yet also tannic vintage that’s going to benefit from its élevage, as well as require bottle age. They remind me slightly of Chave’s 1998, although as I say in the review, I think there’s a touch more sun-kissed fruit in the 2022s. The 2021s are beautiful, elegant, seamless wines, and you’ll be hard pressed to do better in the vintage. These aren’t massive wines, but they have pretty, complex, and classic profiles that will drink well with just a few years of bottle age. On another level, the 2020s are powerful, massive wines that remind me slightly of the 2010s (or is it 2009s?). They have tons of baby fat and are already fun to taste, but these are built for the long haul.