Sign In

2020 M. Chapoutier St. Joseph Les Granits

Removed from a professional wine storage facility; Purchased from a private collector

Ends Sunday, 7pm Pacific

RATINGS

97Jeb Dunnuck

...black fruits, scorched earth, and graphite, with an Hermitage-like leather note. Full-bodied on the palate, it builds beautifully with air and has sweet tannins, a stacked mid-palate, no hard edges, and a great, great finish.

95The Wine Advocate

Marked by scents of crushed stone, licorice and black cherries... Medium to full-bodied, it's streamlined and fresh, with silky tannins and a long, elegant finish.

95Wine Spectator

A polished, massive red, with loads of aromatic complexity. Shows a savory thread of smoke that weaves through juniper and charred lavender notes, infusing a base of raspberry puree and dark plum flavors. Reveals tannins that hold firm, with refinement and power. Boasts bolts of iron that ground everything firmly, adding weight and structure through the pleasingly chewy, well-meshed and superlong finish.

94-96Vinous / IWC

...expressive aromas of mineral-tinged black and blue fruits, violet, incense and exotic spices, and a hint of smokiness. Stains the palate with vibrant blackberry, blueberry, bitter cherry and floral pastille flavors that slowly deepen and become sweeter with air...showing fine definition on a strikingly long, youthfully tannic finish that leaves behind sappy blue fruit and spicecake notes.

17+ Jancis Robinson

...luscious black fruit, meatiness and smoked-bacon flavour. There is still the rubbery edge, but it is well balanced by intense fruit and complex savoury character. Semi-firm tannins with high acid and imposing persistence.

PRODUCER

M. Chapoutier

Founded in 1808, M. Chapoutier is one of the most renowned producers of the Rhone Valley. Though the producer was for much of its history a negociant known for decent but unremarkable wines, the newest generation of the Chapoutier family to run the business, Michel Chapoutier, has since the early 1990s turned the estate into a star. Michel embraced biodynamic viticulture in 1989, completely renovated the cellars and upgraded the elevage by using small oak barrels. With 151.9 acres of vineyards divided between the north and south regions of the Rhone Valley, M. Chapoutier is also one of the largest producers. Nearly 120,000 bottles total are produced each year. The prestige cuvees at the top of the M. Chapoutier line are neither fined nor filtered, giving them a richness and great concentration. Grapes grown by the estate are Syrah, Marsanne, Grenache, Grenache Blanc, Clairette, Bourboulenc and Roussanne. The vines average between 50 and 100 years old.

REGION

France, Rhône Valley, Northern Rhône, St. Joseph

The Northern Rhône Valley wine region hugs the Rhône River from Vienne in the north to Valence at its southern tip. The French call the region Côtes du Rhône Septentrionales, and it is divided into eight appellations. Along with its neighbor to the south, the Southern Rhone Valley, it is famous for its big, tannic, intensely concentrated wines. Syrah is the only red grape permitted in AOC wines from this sub-region, though the Syrah can be blended with the white wine grapes Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne, depending on the regulations for each AOC. White wines are made from Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne. Of the eight appellations in the north, the most admired wines tend to come from Côte-Rôtie, Condrieu and Hermitage, though there are certainly exceptional wines to be found in St. Joseph, Crozes-Hermitage, St.-Peray, Crozes-Hermitage and Cornas. Along with Bordeaux, Burgundy and Champagne, Rhône wines are among France’s best known and most collected wines. Red wines from these appellations are notable for their signature aromas of bacon and green olives, and for their depth. Robert M. Parker, a great champion of Rhone wines, has written that “the northern Rhône produces three of the greatest wines in the world – the white wines of Condrieu and the red wines of Côte-Rôtie and Hermitage.”

TYPE

Red Wine, Syrah (Shiraz)

This grape is grown in milder climates and produces a medium-to full-bodied wine. It is also known as Shiraz, but should not be confused with Petit Sirah, which was developed by crossing Syrah with Peloursin.

VINTAGE

2020 M. Chapoutier St. Joseph Les Granits