J.L. Chave Selection St. Joseph Offerus 2014

The Chave family has been making wine on the northern Rhône since 1481 — sixteen unbroken generations culminating in Jean-Louis Chave, whose Hermitage is among the most sought-after wines on earth. Offerus is the Selection range's Saint-Joseph — not a second wine, but a deliberate statement about what Jean-Louis believes the appellation is capable of in the right hands. The fruit comes from organically farmed vineyards in the southern communities of Mauves, Tournon and Saint-Jean-de-Muzols — home of the winery — with vines ranging from young plantings to 80-year-old Syrah grown on the eastern-sloping granite soils that define the appellation's finest terroirs. The wine is native-fermented in wood tonneaux and stainless steel before ageing in barriques and foudres for 18 months — a traditional approach that gives the wine structure and longevity without compromising the granite-driven freshness and lift that is Saint-Joseph's great gift. 

Classic granite notes of cassis and darker cherries, graphite, crushed stone, pepper and violets — medium-bodied, focused and beautifully balanced on the palate, with textbook Saint-Joseph tannins, nicely integrated acidity and a crisp, mineral-laced finish. Well-meshed and alluring, with a generous core of cherry, plum and fruitcake spice, creamy on the full palate with smoked meat notes and a sturdy spine of graphite — impressive length and poise. Jean-Louis makes these wines to showcase what he believes to be the potential of the appellations with which he works — and what he believes Saint-Joseph can do, Offerus demonstrates with quiet authority every vintage.