M. Chapoutier Saint Joseph Le Clos 2021

The 2021 Saint-Joseph Le Clos comes from an east-facing parcel Michel purchased in the early 1990s at the urging of his grandfather, who told him it produced the finest wine of the appellation before World War II. Planted in the late 1990s, it has yielded a 2021 redolent with scents of menthol, cedar and mixed red and black cherries. Only medium-bodied, it seems less expansive on the palate than the les Granites bottling, but perhaps it's a bit more structured and firmer yet still silky and harmonious.

Always harvested about week after the Lieu-dit Saint Joseph, the 2021 Saint Joseph Le Clos has a brilliant nose of pure cassis, fresh fig, and almost blue fruits as well as Hermitage-like nuances of flowers, leather, and crushed rock. It's medium-bodied, has terrific concentration, and a more focused, serious feel to its tannins. All destemmed and aged in a mix of barrels and demi-muids (20% new), it's up with the crème de la crème of the vintage and is a classic Saint Joseph in the making. It should also be long-lived.