Pierre Gonon St. Joseph Rouge 2018

(93-96) pts Wine Advocate

Gonon's 2018 Saint Joseph is a tremendous effort that, according to Jean Gonon, was blended in March 2019 but won't be bottled until February 2020. Picked the second week of September, it weighs in at a balanced 13.7% alcohol, artfully combining aromatic nuances of black cherries, black tea, rose petals and licorice. It's medium to full-bodied, with ripe fleshiness surrounding a concealed spine of firm but ripe tannins—a structure to make it enjoyable relatively young yet capable of aging through 2035.

95 pts Vinous

Deep violet. Intensely perfumed, mineral-accented aromas of red and blue fruit preserves, licorice, exotic spices and potpourri, along with an exotic suggestion of incense. Stains the palate with concentrated black raspberry, cassis, bitter cherry and fruitcake flavors that are given spicy lift by a suggestion of white pepper. A violet pastille nuance emerges with aeration and carries through an extremely long, youthfully tannic finish that shows outstanding definition and mineral thrust.

(93-94) pts James Suckling

The final blend from demi-muid, this has such complex, dark-spiced cherries, licorice, iodine and wet dark stones with subtle, spicy fragrance. The palate offers supple, fresh and pure, red to dark cherries and very defined tannins. This has such balance, evenness and attractive layering and is already packing a sanguine twist of mineral at the finish. 13.5% abv. Try from 2024.