Saint Joseph
Saint Joseph Wine - Buy Wine from the Saint Joseph Region of France
In his 1997 book ‘Wines of the Rhône Valley’, Robert Parker subtitled the chapter on Saint-Joseph: ‘In Search of an Identity’. The point he was making then is still relevant today as with over 1000 hectares under vine, Saint-Joseph is an enormous appellation (Hermitage by comparison has just 131 hectares) and quality is extremely variable. According to Jean-Louis Chave, the problem for Saint-Joseph is ‘the democracy of the majority over the minority’. By this he means that there are too many substandard winemakers who are content to produce mediocre wines for ready money rather than see the appellation achieve its full potential. He thinks the solution may lie in a ‘Cru’ system that would help people identify the best terroirs and wine-makers in the appellation.
Whether this ever comes into being remains to be seen but what is certain is that Saint Joseph is capable of producing fantastic wines that merit serious consideration. Jean-Louis himself is firmly of this opinion as is illustrated by his acquisition of the 4 hectare, walled ‘Clos Florentin’ vineyard in 2009, adding to his existing 5 hectare vine-holdings here and his extensive négociant commitments.
White Wine
Red Wine