Justin Bothur

9.2

Ripe plum, mulberry, touch of smoke, cassis, tobacco, faint olive and blueberry fruit leather. Subtle C. Howard’s Violet candy on the nose. Certainly developed over a two hour decant into many exciting layers. A superlative example of this grape and such a wonderful full bodied wine for those with all tastes and palates. — 12 days ago

Jay Kline

9.2

This bottle had been opened the night before. The 2021 pours a deep ruby/purple color with a near opaque core; medium viscosity with significant staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of tart and ripe black and red fruits: mixed brambles, purple flowers, olives, black pepper, stony earth and a mix of cool and warm spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium tannin and medium+ acidity. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium+ and peppery. True to the vintage, this is a cooler expression of Chave’s Saint Joseph and I really dig it. Drink now through 2041. — a month ago

Ray Vanderhoff

9.2

Blend of Grenache (34%), Barbera (32%), Counoise (16%), Mourvèdre (14%) and 4% other assorted red grapes. Light salmon pink color. Aromas of citrus fruits, red berries and white flowers. Flavors of strawberries, raspberries, orange, green melon, grapefruit and lemon. Lovely hint of salty and chalky minerality on the finish. Creamy texture (lees contact?) and very crisp acidity. Light bodied, clean and refreshing. Wonderful pairing with a salad. — 13 days ago

Conrad Green

9.6

A fantastic nose. So multi dimensional. Gamey, meaty, violets, iron, herbs. Intense, defined. Long. Fantastic. — 7 days ago

with David

romo

9.4

En Mag. Candy wrapper nose and gentle tannin silky mouthfeel. No heat. Yum. — 20 days ago

Galen Hasler

9.0

Delicious again, a best with food — 15 days ago

Matt Waring

9.2

Lordy this is good—smooth, supple red blend offering strawberry and mint at first and a softly tannic raspberry bite after. Drinks lighter than the alcohol. Had with burgers, could see it with BBQ or even a steak. — 13 days ago

with Christine

Anthony James Marr

9.3

The critics said it best “cornas at its finest” and I fully agree - this required a few hours in the decanter to open up and was showing even better on day 2 leading me to believe this could continue aging for another half decade before truly peaking — 5 days ago

Christian Fischer

9.4

I was going through my La Chapelle section today and my eyes got stuck on this 1999 - bottle looked absolutely pristine and I decided it was a perfect age to drink. Cork was in great condition and the wine was powerful and youthful with no signs of oxidation. Could have kept the bottle for a few more years, but it was probably perfect today. All the complex leathery earthy goodness you expect from this wine was there. — 12 days ago

Ron Siegel

9.3

When 1st opened this was all black & blue fruits, inky, graphite that opened with air revealing dark cherry, berry fruit, bacon fat, black olive, pepper, spice & violets — a month ago