2014 Saint-Joseph

In Pierre Gonon’s opinion, the 2014s are turning out “a lot like the 2012s but with more structure and the ability to age longer.” The reduced yields of the vintages have given the wines depth, he thinks, and the late harvest allowed the grapes’ skins to thicken sufficiently to provide sound but not too-strong tannins. The smart buy here, if you can find it, is the Les Isle Feray, which is made from the estate’s young Saint-Joseph vines but simply labeled as a Vin de Pays because Pierre and his brother, Jean, think that while it’s a solid Saint-Joseph, it would be a distraction from their flagship bottling, which they wish to keep as a “regular” wine, “not a reserve.”

While it has been frustrating to watch (and pay) steadily increasing prices for Pierre and Jean Gonon's wines, the fact is that they still deliver the best value for top-drawer wine in the northern Rhône. In fact, I would place this estate squarely on my "A" list of wine producers in the world, such is the consistent high quality of the wines for over a decade now.

The Gonon brothers' wines have become real objects of desire in recent years. And while they've become increasingly difficult to purchase here in the U.S. they’re well worth the hunt as well as the inevitably higher prices that they now command. Pierre Gonon told me in December that he considers 2013 to be "a classic vintage in style, with elegance and freshness emphasized," but he also thinks that the wines will be best enjoyed on the young side "while the fruit is strong." He's more confident in the ageworthiness of the 2012s and is particularly fond of "the silk and harmony of the tannins," which will allow the wines to age as well as to be enjoyed in their youth. Gonon opened a bottle of the 2005 Saint-Joseph at the end of our tasting and the wine is simply gorgeous, with intense red fruit and floral character and supple tannins that fade smoothly into the wine's fruit. If you have any, consider yourself fortunate. And you probably paid less than half what the '12 will be going for, to boot.