Shay A

9.3

@Delectable Wine : This is the La Pierelle Hermitage Blanc. I didn’t see it in the database.

Project between Louis Barruol (of Chateau Saint Cosme) and Kermit Lynch. From the small plot called La Pierrelle near the top of the hill (vines are more than eighty years old). 100% Marsanne.

Pours a bright-gold color. Aromatically you can smell the dried apricots and honeysuckle from a foot away. Classically viscous and waxy, but by no means cloying or flabby. Reminds me of those Bit-O-Honey candies as a kid with honeyed-lemon followed by some truffle Marcona almonds at the finish. Mid-palate texture is weighty and the finish is lengthy. Fruit isn’t dominant here (as expected) but the complexity with the almond skin/waxy bitter notes is beautiful. I love Rhône whites.

Followed over two days and stayed consistent. Pop and pour now for stage one, or hold 7-10yrs for marsanne’s stage two revival. — 9 days ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.1

E Guigal produces fine Rhône wines. Dark Ruby color with aromas of berry fruit and earthy spice. On the palate flavors of black cherry and blackberry with cedar, cacao and earth notes, vivid acidity nice structure. Fine tannins, long finish ending with fruit and spice character. Good now will cellar well, a bargain compared to its Hermitage neighbors. — 4 months ago

Adam Gäfvert

9.2

Guigal considers this Saint Joseph lieu-dit to be their fourth Lala wine. As the name suggests this plot was once owned by the hospital and is a steep slope opposite the Hermitage mountain. It sports dark ripe fruits that are elegantly tamed by Guigal’s famous oak programme. Bursting with aromas and flavour. Dark berries, spice and really luxurious roundness. — a year ago

Daniel M

9.0

One more time a month after. Prior notes apply.
3rd wine of my family-organised blind tasting for my 40th birthday (tomorrow). I happened to buy this wine a few weeks ago after it had been bought by my wife and daughter for the purpose of this tasting and I saw some smiles and question marks on their faces while buying this which I didn't understand on the spot.. now I get it. I called this a saint joseph... close enough. Well, not according to my daughter who said I failed badly... have kids they say... — 2 months ago

Andrew McIntyre

9.1

One of my all time favourite producers. Meaty, earthy and blackberries. Easy drinking — 4 months ago

Jason snyder

9.2

Lots of interesting fruit - pineapple, mango. Honey. Creamy mouth. Northern Rhône. Drink cold. Probably with cheese. — a year ago

K. Syrah

9.3

2015: Rich and concentrated Syrah with a mouthful of minerals and leather and meaty flavors. Not quite as funky as Cote-Rotie but still complex, with a long and unique finish. Legit: I like this more than the Jaboulet Maison Bleu Hermitage at this stage. $60 at VR. — 2 years ago

Seth Masterson

9.3

This has to be one of the most refined and finessed sangiovese I've tried. Think Hermitage or Saint Joseph levels of refinement and balance. — 3 months ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.3

2019 vintage. As rustic as ever. Blood. Earth. Plum. Stems. Heavy body. A step or two above a solid workhorse but not flighty. Tremendous punch. Could be wrong but think this producer only does Saint Joseph and Crozes-Hermitage and both are great QPR. 10.30.24. — 3 months ago

Jay Kline

9.3

Popped and poured, enjoyed over the course of a couple of hours. The 2017 pours a deep ruby/purple color with a transparent core; medium viscosity with moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with drop-dead gorgeous notes of mixed bramble fruit, fresh blueberries, freshly cracked black pepper, purple flowers, spiced and grilled kofta, dried green herbs and hot asphalt after a rain. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium+. This is a beautiful wine and one of the best New World Syrah’s I’ve had. If Tynan’s “Judge Family” is to Hermitage, The Joy Fantastic’s is to Saint -Joseph. Stunning. Drink now through 2032 — 5 months ago