2014 Saint-Joseph Domaine de la Croix des Vignes

According to Caroline Frey and Jacques Desnervois, the energy that marks so many 2014 red wines came about because following veraison, the weather was warm but not so hot that acidity could drop. Just as important was the fact that “the sun didn’t really come out much” and sugar levels didn’t accelerate as they might under sunny, hot conditions. As such, the vineyards didn’t absorb much in the way of daytime heat and the nights were consistently cool as well. The resulting wines should show well young, but I suspect they will also evolve gracefully thanks to their energy and balance. The 2015 white wines are, predictably, a huge success and destined to be cellar treasures for those with storage space and patience.

The wines made by owner-winemaker Caroline Frey and her right-hand man Jacques Desnervois are distinctly more polished and approachable than those made by the Jaboulet family up until the domain was sold in 2006. They are also far more consistent in quality and more approachable than they were under the old regime. Yields are now often frighteningly low, even before sorting, with many of the wines being made from crops as small as 10 hl/ha. New oak is kept to a minimum, never exceeding 20%, which Frey says is “my personal limit before the wine's intrinsic personality becomes obscured, even if you're working with the very best tonneliers."