2019 M. Chapoutier, Saint-Joseph, Le Clos

From east-facing vines that were planted at the end of the 1990s, Chapoutier's 2019 Saint-Joseph Le Clos offers up scents of crushed stone, blackberries, cassis and hints of scorched coffee. Full-bodied, concentrated and rich, it's dense, creamy textured and plush on the mid-palate, finishing long and velvety. I suspect I may be underestimating it.

Opaque violet. Displays an array of ripe black and blue fruit and floral qualities on the deeply perfumed nose, along with savory suggestions of olive, pipe tobacco and smoked meat. In a distinctly wild style, offering bitter cherry, cassis, chewing tobacco and fruitcake flavors and smoky bacon and sweet chewing tobacco notes. Fans out slowly through an impressively long, gently chewy finish that features well-knit tannins and resonating cassis and spice notes.

Dark, lively crimson. Gorgeous! Offers much more pleasure than the Hermitage Les Greffieux 2008. Sad that prices of this wine and the best St-Josephs generally have been edging up since about 2012. (JR)

100% Syrah. Cask sample. Tasted at the domaine. Such a powerful brooding nose with a note of bacon fat and scorched earth. Austere attack with lots of peppery spice and good freshness. But this is a powerful wine that needs at least five years to settle. (AC)