M. Chapoutier - Saint-Joseph Le Clos 2016

Druvor

Syrah

Tasting note

Looking even better than it did last year, now that it's in the bottle, Chapoutier's 2016 Saint-Joseph Le Clos is impressive indeed. Classy notes of crushed stone and pencil shavings are joined by floral hints of violets, plus ripe cassis on the nose. Full-bodied, rich and concentrated, it comes across as dense yet not heavy (does that make any sense?), finishing with silky tannins and a tremendously long finish. It's a tour de force in Saint-Joseph, nearly equal in quality to Chapoutier's parcel-selection wines from across the river in Hermitage.

The dynamic Michel Chapoutier is a man in continuous motion. It must be difficult for him to stay in one place long enough for me to taste through his exhaustive lineup of Northern Rhône wines, not only those under his own label but also the Ferraton Père et Fils collection, plus joint ventures with chefs Yannick Alleno and Anne-Sophie Pic. Those are listed under their own headings, but the M. Chapoutier reviews are all here, ranging from his entry-level Crozes Hermitage La Petite Ruche all the way up to the various sélections parcellaires from Hermitage (or Ermitage, as it's spelled on those labels). With all of the various parcel selections, Chapoutier is clearly a great believer in terroir. "In the great terroirs," he said, "the terroir tames the power of the variety." Chapoutier considers 2016 to be "very interesting" for whites in the north, saying, "We had enough yields to avoid overripening." But the real stars this year are his 2015 red wines, several of which flirt with or achieve perfection.

The annual tasting session at the Chapoutier offices in Tain l'Hermitage is a half-day marathon, this year covering 50 wines under the M. Chapoutier label, plus others in various partnerships. It's a testament to Michel Chapoutier's dogged determination to wring the best out of his various vineyard holdings by delving down into micro-vinifications of various parcel selections, not just in Hermitage, but in the other Northern Rhône appellations as well. Yet while drilling down, Chapoutier keeps the big picture in focus as well, pointing out that climate change is having an impact in Cornas. "The oldest slopes are starting to be too hot," he said. Meanwhile, he's developing vineyards in the higher reaches of the appellation. In his white wines, he's trying to keep a big portion of the carbon dioxide from fermentation in the wines. "CO2 is like salt in food," he said. "It brings out the minerality." Finally, Chapoutier is clearly pleased with his 2017 reds, which look to be developing nicely in the cellar. "It's got more concentration than 2016 but bright aromatics," he said. "It's a good balance between 2015 and 2016."

Robert Parker Wine Advocate