Domaine Julien Cécillon
Babylone Saint-Joseph Syrah
St. Joseph, Northern Rhône, Rhône, France
Bright red, candied cherry, lively. Raspberry.
Bright red, candied cherry, lively. Raspberry.
Nov 18th, 2018
Clear blue and black fruit with earth and iron. Opens to typical violets. Moderate tannic grip. An approachable constraint.
Clear blue and black fruit with earth and iron. Opens to typical violets. Moderate tannic grip. An approachable constraint.
Dec 18th, 2017This is a terrific St.-Joseph that fills a nice niche in the world of syrah I don't encounter nearly as often as I'd like - it has all the earthy funk, cracked pepper, and dry-aged meatiness of a powerful Northern Rhone yet instead of the slick, dense fruit and/or ripping tannic muscle that ordinarily accompanies that, it's a buoyant middleweight with pure fruit firmly on the red-fruit side of the spectrum. It's almost like a friendlier version of a Levet Cote-Rotie - a lot of the savory elements that make those so interesting are here and the transparency and weight are similar, the fruit here is just rounder and cleaner. It's not a "needs food" wine - it's easy to sip and even has a surprising amount of glou glou for something with this kind of depth. A blend of young(ish) 25 year old vines and some serious 115 year old V.V.'s, which may be how it manages to pull off both sides of that personality at the same time.
This is a terrific St.-Joseph that fills a nice niche in the world of syrah I don't encounter nearly as often as I'd like - it has all the earthy funk, cracked pepper, and dry-aged meatiness of a powerful Northern Rhone yet instead of the slick, dense fruit and/or ripping tannic muscle that ordinarily accompanies that, it's a buoyant middleweight with pure fruit firmly on the red-fruit side of the spectrum. It's almost like a friendlier version of a Levet Cote-Rotie - a lot of the savory elements that make those so interesting are here and the transparency and weight are similar, the fruit here is just rounder and cleaner. It's not a "needs food" wine - it's easy to sip and even has a surprising amount of glou glou for something with this kind of depth. A blend of young(ish) 25 year old vines and some serious 115 year old V.V.'s, which may be how it manages to pull off both sides of that personality at the same time.
2 people found it helpfulJan 25th, 2016Such beautiful fruit. Killer pairing with Famous Dave's!
Such beautiful fruit. Killer pairing with Famous Dave's!
Dec 3rd, 2016
Ripe and flashy, still has the earth and meat but very much about fruit for an ow wine
Ripe and flashy, still has the earth and meat but very much about fruit for an ow wine
Dec 1st, 2016
Julien taking a crack at northern rhone syrah- hot in bistro
scene great value across river from Hermitage 2nd vintage-very supple chocolate- high tone fruit fills the gap between crozes and higher priced wines
Julien taking a crack at northern rhone syrah- hot in bistro
scene great value across river from Hermitage 2nd vintage-very supple chocolate- high tone fruit fills the gap between crozes and higher priced wines
Felt like we wanted for the wine to never open up. Initial whiff of something special, but wine was nice but kind of ordinary
Felt like we wanted for the wine to never open up. Initial whiff of something special, but wine was nice but kind of ordinary
Sep 12th, 2022
Similar to previous bottles. Heavy on enjoyment with elegant red fruit & enough tannic structure to add texture & grip. Not the most complex, but easy to enjoy for sure.
Similar to previous bottles. Heavy on enjoyment with elegant red fruit & enough tannic structure to add texture & grip. Not the most complex, but easy to enjoy for sure.
Nov 28th, 2020Very dark in color, so surprising when the palate shows more red fruit than anything else. This has some savory character and some acidic structure, but tannins are a bit soft. The nose is cracked pepper and some darker fruit. This is a nice wine, but I’d say it drinks more like a balanced new world offering than a St Joseph.
Very dark in color, so surprising when the palate shows more red fruit than anything else. This has some savory character and some acidic structure, but tannins are a bit soft. The nose is cracked pepper and some darker fruit. This is a nice wine, but I’d say it drinks more like a balanced new world offering than a St Joseph.
Oct 24th, 2020