St Joseph, Pierre Gonon 2021

Pierre Gonon, a Mauves mainstay, was later joined by his sons Jean and Pierre in the 1980s. After their father's early retirement in 1989 due to health reasons, the brothers passionately elevated the domaine to become Saint-Joseph's top producer. They initially crafted wines in cramped cellars but built a new winemaking cave in 2002, still connected to an old cellar. Their vines thrive in the heart of the St-Joseph appellation on granite slopes in Mauves and Tournon. In 2004, they expanded by renting old vines in St-Jean-de-Muzols from Raymond Trollat, later acquiring 3ha from him, now a significant part of their primary red cuvée.

All red St-Joseph vines are 'sélection massale,' with no clones. They use horses for plowing when possible, like the Jura Comtois breed Samson. Yields are in the low 30hh range. After harvest, grapes undergo destemming (around 85%) and are directly conveyed into ancient wooden vats. Fermentation lasts 2-3 weeks with foot punching twice daily and daily remontage during cuvaison. Wines age for at least 12 months in demi-muids before bottling in late February with minimal sulfur.

A really beautiful dark, black cherry colour that extends right out to the edge, right from the start the class and elegance of the 2020 is evident. It's so harmonious with blackberry fruit and notable tapenade and liquorice, a perfect 13.03% alcohol, much more freshness and cut than 2019, and then an irony grip on the finish with the palate staining quality typical of fruit from St-Jean-de-Muzols. The dry extract and mineral print from this vineyard are phenomenal and provide a perfect backbone to help the wine age very well – as a guide Jean Gonon recommends six years. 

Producer   Pierre Gonon

Origin Mauves, Northern Rhone, France

Grapes 100% Syrah

Vintage 2021

Alcohol 13% ABV

Style Full body red

Bottle size 750ml 

Winemaking Manual harvested, 90% whole bunches lightly crushed. Fermented with indigenous yeast, matured in demi muids for a minimum of 12 months. Unfiltred but fined with egg white ( Not Vegan)