Compared to the 2020, this was more hearty and savoury, has more tannins, lots of olive on the noce. Definitely a wine to keep in the cellar for a while.
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The 2017 Pierre Gonon Saint-Joseph is a great wine, but in need of some further ageing. Having had this bottle recently after it had a good amount of air, and having had this bottle @oockeramsterdam, confirmed this. Fresh out of the bottle the wine shows its characteristic style with plenty of fruit and black olives, but also noticeable tannins and a bit of astringency. Give this time, and thou shall be rewarded!
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Silky, fruity and not overly meaty. It felt ever so slightly held back, and maybe some more time in the bottle is needed, but for this age it shows really well.
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Had the '17 followed by the '19, both after having some time in the decanter. The '17 for me was the more elegant of the lot, still with lots of black olive, cherry, some meatiness, herbs and flowers. The '19 is more of the same, but had (even) more intensity and power.
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When I last had this (Oct 2020), the olive thing was just too much. I was left with the taste of olives for days. It has since improved significantly and integrated. A masculine Syrah with the meat, the smoke and the herbs. Beautiful blueberry and black cherry. The olive is still there but far more in the background (less of an assault). A bit more impressive on the pallet than the nose. It’s still young, quite tight and it’ll surely get better and better.
At the estate, same condition as the other wines we had that day...
Nose is quite intense, with "layers" :) M+ IOA, it s quite complex with the spice and fruit, Blueberry, black berry etc... of course the peppery effect, but it has some dried meat as well, a bit of speck, corned beef, sooth, ashes...
Palate is very nice now, with long finish, complex on the palate with both tannins getting integrated and rounded, M+ tannins, M+ Body, M+ acidity, M Alcohol, MIOA with the complexity of fruits and smoky character, smoke not from the oak, but from grapes and the granite, really a dried meat thing !
Very nice wine !
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Deep purple core. Slow to unfold aromatically, but eventually fennel and violet. Medium bodied, slightly tart acidity, black fruit, herb, bitter chocolate, and a fine dusting of soil throughout. This doesn't have the depth or dimension of the very best vintages, but it grew on me. I look forward to trying it again tomorrow.
Forty eight hours later, more high toned camphor and stemmy aromas, a bit more weight, bright acidity, and much more of the earthy, chocolatey foundation. Not a huge change, but it definitely gained as a result of more air.
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By the bottle at Gebr. Hartering in Amsterdam. Decanted for about an hour and a half; it really needed it. Nose is very shy, hard to pick out very much here (though in fairness the restaurant is full of smoke from the charcoal grill). Palate is dried cherries, licorice, thyme and oregano, white pepper, relatively light bodied, definitely more on the fruity side than the savory side, good tannins, great acidity and a finish. It’s good but maybe not great; more finesse than power. Still, paired well with venison and ribeye. Probably needs quite a bit of time still.
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Archetypical Gonon nose - bursting with dark fruit, flowers, olives, pleasantly stuffed like an overflowing glass. Delicious on the palate, but the tannins are a bit harsh and drying in the finish, in a way that detracts from the overall balance, and in a way that makes me feel that this is not a wine for the long haul. Could be that it’s greatest pleasures are near term.
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Savory nose with notes of cocoa, dark fruit, black cherry, violets, and brine. Lots of tannins (although quite soft) with more dark fruit flavors, good acidity, and a gamey character on the palate. Long finish. Very classic Northern Rhone Syrah. So young but really promising. 94+
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Tapenade, warm earth, salt and charcuterie. Very savoury and umami as is mostly the case with Gonon. But there is a core of fresher fruit, black currant, blackberry and sundried tomato. Violet driven potpurri florality. There’s a sticky thickness to this that makes blue-purple tannins cover the inside of your mouth. There’s and echo of stewed herbs through it all.
Great as usual. Needs some air to get the fruit shining through on the savoury palats, but I definitely think it is a good drinking window already for my taste. Not the best vintage of this wine, but a good one.
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Showing pretty well for the early stages of its drinking window after a 2 hour decant. It’s floral, dark fruited and clear Gonon with its black olive tapenade, mineral, and violet inflicted aromas. The palate does show its youth with powdery tannins and compact structure. But I am always a fan of these wines and this will continue to develop nicely.
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Unable to take a proper note Decanted for 1 hour Drinkable but still tight and reductive Concentrated and high quality Give this at least 5 years or +2 hours in decanter
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Made from grapes that have been grown organically on predominantly granite soil. Fermented spontaneously in open-top oak fermenters with 2-week maceration, stems and all. Aged for 24 months in old foudres and 600-liter demi-muids. Bottled with ~50 mg/l SO2. 13,5% alcohol.
Deep, luminous and slightly translucent ruby red color with a faint blueish hue. At first somewhat underwhelming and slightly stuffy nose with a bit of reduction and dusty, sun-baked earth that slowly opens up to reveal vibrant yet quite dark-toned aromas of ripe boysenberries and fresh blackberries, some sweeter dark fruits, light herbal nuances of peppermint, a floral hint of Labrador tea and a touch of rubbery reduction. The wine feels ripe, dense and chewy on the palate with a moderately full body and rather focused, savory and dark-toned flavors of juicy dark berries, some game, a little bit of crushed peppercorns, light meaty notes of umami and a crunchy hint of fresh black cherry. As the reductive qualities seem to hold the fruit back a bit, the rather muscular structure of the wine is pretty much to the fore; the acidity feels high and the firm, moderately grippy tannins come across as quite stern yet not aggressive. The finish is ripe, juicy and moderately grippy with firm, savory flavors of fresh boysenberries, some sweeter blackberry tones, a little bit of dark plum, light umami-driven notes of game and raw meat, a hint of tangy salinity and a subtly salty touch of olive.
A rather stern and structured Saint Joseph that is still a mere baby and offers relatively little at this point. Although the wine was aerated in a decanter for more than an hour, it still came across as quite restrained and slightly reductive - although not nearly as closed and reductive as 2016 was, even after hours of aeration. Ripeness-wise, this vintage feels quite similar to 2015, but coming across as more restrained and showing more brooding, darker-toned fruit instead of vibrant, up-front and slightly sweeter fruit of 2015. Although it's a bit difficult to get a full picture of the wine this soon after the vintage, it shows great promise in regard to both its structure and the intensity of its fruit. If opened now, I recommend giving the wine hours of air. However, I heartily recommend letting the wine age for another decade or more - this is really built for the long haul. Expect the score go up with age. Although not that affordable for a St. Joe at 59€, this wine still manages to easily deliver for the price.
Great on pop and pour, though there's obviously no rush. It's very open (it's Gonon!), but there's clearly quite a bit of power behind it. I'm not in any rush to open the rest.
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Dark nose of kirsch and blackberry, some peppery syrah tingle, great mouthfeel. Right now is a wine to think about how it will be in 5-10 years. No need to rush it. 93-94+
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Glossy ripe black fruit with juicy med/med+ freshness, a strong overtone of briny black olive tapenade, and some rusticity on the finish at warmer temperatures. Med finish. The ripeness is more sharp than jammy. There is some depth to the fruit and nice briny flavors. I don't feel I missed out on a lot by opening so early?
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Tasted blind, decanted 5hrs ahead, nose of wild strawberries, high intensity, white pepper, a touch of menthol, a little medicinal. Palate matched with medium body, great acid and balance, very young. I was torn between a brawny pinot and St Joseph. This was an impressive wine. Very versatile, completely approachable yet will age gracefully. I will seek more out. 92-93+
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I think the keyword here is "concentrated"; the fruit quality is dense, but there's a core of savouriness, olive tapenade, crushed rose petal, and soft and broad blue and purple, even plummy - but not jammy - fruits. The structure itself is elegant, with powdery, dusty tannins rather than jagged or harsh ones. Linear and fresh but, again, tightly compacted and focused but not closed per se. This obviously has tons of mileage and potential but is surprisingly open and generous now, with classic Northern Rhône character. Delicious.
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Goes a very long way. Bursting of Intrinsic energy and power. Ticks all the boxes for a great st. Joseph from the classic terroir around mauves. Very open and generous now. A charming and excellent vintage
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Served blind, same bottle as JVIZ the following night. Impressive ripeness and concentration—was sure this was a high end CA Syrah. Oh well. What it is is an impressive polished and well crafted Syrah, with elegant lifted floral notes. Palate is concreted and ripe, showing the “sunshine” but leans more red fruited than purple giving it a solid sense of freshness. White pepper notes throughout and length chalky finish. Tannins a bit corse and chewy, but in the background of the fruit. I get the hype—world class Syrah.
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Showed very well tonight. 17 is open knit enough that these bottles will behave for you now and I think have good mid term ageability as well. Perhaps like 11, folks will sleep on this vintage and later realize it has a lot to offer in terms of freshness.
Tasted over the course of an evening in a couple glasses. The wine screams N.Rhone syrah with kalamata olive, red meat, and fine ground pepper with wisps of smoke. No significant VA and balanced acidity. It’s drinking great early on.
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I'm sitting on further four bottles of this and I don't know what to think. Great nose with overwhelming, jammy, concentrated black fruit, olive, garrigue, a whiff of iron/rusty nail but the palate does not cut it for me. Too jammy, too ripe, too full-bodied. Maybe time will fix it?
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Very primary and absolutely delicious. You can feel the slightly solar vintage, as this is a fairly broad wine, but it's beautiful; it's all silky dark fruit and olive tapenade. Disappeared very quickly.
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Dyp mørk rød-lilla. Herlig rhonesk duft av krekling, bjørnebær og sort oliven. Ung, fast og veldig fruktig. Kompakt, konsentrert og "god juice" i all sin ungdommelighet. Kompleks med masse mørke bær. Andre flaske drukket - vent 3-4 år til neste.
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Slightly darker and more tannic than usual. There are notes of tar and black olives on top of flowers and smoked meat scents on the nose. Plenty of dark fruit on the palate, richer than usual, more ripe, but, as usual for Gonon, true to place. This will need time in the cellar to come around and it will be long lived. Wait for now, 3-5 years. At Mangevins in Tain.
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Black olives. Dark minerality. Darkness, in general. Very little fruit to speak of, which makes no sense except that we drank it on a root day. Open five hours and never got there. Could be flawed bottle but I do t believe so. I think it’s a root day thing, perhaps.
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Drukket fire ganger over et år ved hjelp av Coravin. Delikat duft av søtlige, modne jordbær, krekling og bjørnebær, et streif av anis og sorte oliven og et lite streif av mørk sjokolade. Saftig og ganske rå fortsatt, som en nyplukkket miks av krekling, bjørnebær og blåbær. Upolert og ungdommelig, med et herlig, rent og nesten naturvinaktig preg. Masse ‘power’, stor konsentrasjon, et ømt tanningrep og syre som i knust krekling. Liten endring siden sist altså, med unntak av at de sorte olivenene er tilbake på duft, og de varme jordbærtonene. Syns ikke denne har tapt seg i det hele tatt, og vi er fortsatt på 92-93 p.
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Decanted for 2 hours. Savage nose. Earth, olive, lush dark wild berry. Dark purple in appearance. Equally feral on the palate. Substantial scale. Bramble-berry, spice, tobacco notes, young and austere. Not lacking for character.
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The natural way to describe this wine is in comparison to the most recent vintages, and given the vast dichotomy between the style (but not quality) of 2015 and 2016, I would say that this is more in the 2015 camp, in that this is a relatively blacker version of the wine, its fruit profile predominantly burly and dark. This edition, while ripe, doesn't have the same raw intensity and power as the great 2015. It's a little less rich in that sense and perhaps a little less layered as well. The acidity is more prominent; in fact overall, the structure is just more prominent here as the wine doesn't quite have as much stuffing to cover up that structure. This is a perennially delicious wine and I'm happy to have found a small allotment of this, but it's not like the 2015 or 2016 where I'm going to vacuum up all that I can find.
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On the nose, straight olives. On the palate, there was a constant evolution between ripe dark fruits, e.g. blackberry, black plum but still in a restrained manner, olives and black pepper. But this is so accessible! I imagine this will get better with cellar time but this drinks well now imo.
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Porcini mushrooms, olives, and cracked pepper. And some very screechy tannin, a bit too edgy for a pleasant drink on day one, but it mellows out a bit on the second day (at which point the barrel of olives executes a hostile takeover of the aroma).
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Åpen, nydelig nese av tyttebær, rå potet, lyng, urter. Mørk på farge men utrolig forfinet og attraktiv på duft. Elegant og parfymert. Leskende frukt i munn med juicy, men moderat moden frukt. God fylde, høy friskhet. Relativt lettdrikkelig vin. Finkornede tanniner som bygger på seg med luft. Ypperlig balanse, god kons og flott lengde. Savner ingenting her. Drikker bra rett fra flaske, unngå for mye luft.
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Les nez est un peu timide, dominé par la réglisse, l'anis, les fruits noirs et les fleurs mauves. La bouche est dominée par la structure ce qui, à ce stade de grande jeunesse, n'est pas étonnant. Le vin est long et passablement concentré, mais sans excès ni surextraction. Finale sur les tannins fins mais fermes, sans trop d'alcool, avec une acidité modérée. Pas aussi spectaculaire que le 2015 à mon sens (il est un peu plus austère et moins bombe de fruit), mais on parle clairement d'un vin très jeune qui ne livre pas encore tout ce qu'il peut offrir. Déjà charmant mais le meilleur est à venir. Orochaine bouteille dans 3 ans idéalement. 93+
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Black as night - black olives, loads of black olives. Black fruit, dark mineral tones. The wine is intense and lovely, and very expressive. It feels a bit less structured than some other vintages, and perhaps without as much acidity. I haven't been following the vintage charts, but this feels like a hot vintage version. Nothing wrong with that, but my sense is that this will not need as much cellar time in order to drink well.
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Lots and lots of black olives. Totally dominates on the nose. Also hints of smoke, dark fruit and brambles. On the palate dense and dark. Not sweet, just lots of power. Fruit dark as midnight, fresh oak ashes, more olives and herbs. Medium lenght.
Not much development over 3-4 hours in a decanter.
This needs time, lots of it. Nice to drink now in the name of scientific discovery, but, really, hold. Considerable upside on the score.
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Tasted over two days, the first alongside the same vintage Iles Feray. Highly expressive typicity of variety and place. Testable! The wine features blue fruit, violets, herbs, olive barrel, drying tobacco, lit pipe, smokehouse, and smoldering coal perfume. It tastes like it smells, with an underlying vein of blue fruit liqueur enriching the experience. Inflection-changing range and depth, excellent, if somewhat subtle, structure, never-say-die finish. Bordering on an ethereal elixir. Unequivocally beautiful! Likely to improve. 94-95.
As an aside: This is a more complete wine than the Iles Feray, but that wine's rustic, earth and mineral driven power, places it squarely in my wheelhouse.
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Le nez est très expressif, avec de classiques arômes de violettes, de framboises, de poivre. L’attaque en bouche est fraîche, très juteuse, éclatante, très charmeuse, elle fait saliver. La pureté du fruit et la finesse des tanins témoignent du travail d’un vigneron exceptionnel. Une petite bombe de fruit qui ne manque pas de finesse et qui ferait la barbe à bien des Côte Rôtie. Spectaculaire! 93+ pts
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Young Graillot and Gonon (Noe Valley Wine Merchants, San Francisco): Bright, deep ruby/red. Explosive aromas of purple flower and cranberry. Medium weight, quite supple feel. Certainly not a monster in northern Rhône terms. Beautiful blackberry and inner mouth perfume cut off pretty quickly by zesty acidity and moderate tannins. One could drink this now, but better to hold off and attack the Îles Feray instead over the short term. This is really succulent and will be absolutely delicious once it rounds out in a few years.
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Can’t remember the last Gonon St Joseph that was this opulent and accessible on release. Huge dark red fruit screams out on the nose. Hints of flower and spice but it’s dominated by the absolute orchard load of fruit. When we put it to our nose for the first time all of us went “woah”. Just weren’t expecting the intensity and forwardness of the fruit aroma. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ The palate was similar. Really opulent and bold wide fruit. Similar in profile of the 2015 with that shimmering red fruit but doesn’t have the tannic structure of the 2015. It’s an absolute hurricane of spiced red fruit that continues deep into the finish. It straddles the line of ripeness without going overboard in the way only a great winemaker can do. Generous and so tasty right now, there’s an ease and elegance to it. If you have plenty don’t be afraid to try one. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I haven’t read up on the 2017 N. Rhone vintage but based on all my sampling so far it seems like a very fruit generous ripe vintage that’s more easily accessible than 15/16. Seems akin to 2012.
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This wine really took me by surprise. I wasn’t expecting it to be so accessible right off the bat. It was easily one of the most memorable wines of a recent lineup.
See clayfu’s notes for details. Like Burgundy Al said, there’s 94-95 point potential here.
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Découvertes en Vallée du Rhône; 4/15/2019-4/16/2019 (Ampuis, Mauves and Tain-l'Hermitage): Walk around tasting talking with the producers, brief note. Spice and floral start with ripe berries. Simultaneously elegant powerful, which is tough in such a young wine. Good+ concentration with black cherry and berry aromas, flavors along with black pepper, mint and grilled beef sausage. Very good+ length. So much here. My favorite wine of the tasting. 94-95 point potential.
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Very tight, almost austere with lots of acidity covering the black fruit. It is lighter than the 2016, but the concentration is here, but must come together. Needs at least a couple of years before the second look. 91+ #Bateau Ivre
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Relatively tight, showing but a whiff of menthol, some dried flowers and blackberry. It is compact, well-proportioned and highly perfumed. A mid-weight Gonon but delicious none the less.
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3/24/2024 - AndrewSGHall wrote: flawed
Corked.
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1/18/2024 - fcxj wrote: 90 Points
Shutting down ever so slightly. Prefer 2020 and also 2021.
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11/11/2023 - Peter Spijker Likes this wine: 93 Points
Compared to the 2020, this was more hearty and savoury, has more tannins, lots of olive on the noce. Definitely a wine to keep in the cellar for a while.
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11/10/2023 - ThijsV Likes this wine: 92 Points
Gonon tasting; 11/10/2023-12/10/2023 (Utregs Wijnhuis, Utrecht, NL): Still (very) youthful. Medium intensity with black fruit, black cherries, deep, minerality, black pepper, olives. Medium acidity, medium+ tannins, long finish. 92-93+
70-80% whole cluster
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11/1/2023 - benjamin96 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Une bombe de fruit mauve.
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9/24/2023 - Peter Spijker Likes this wine: 93 Points
The 2017 Pierre Gonon Saint-Joseph is a great wine, but in need of some further ageing. Having had this bottle recently after it had a good amount of air, and having had this bottle @oockeramsterdam, confirmed this. Fresh out of the bottle the wine shows its characteristic style with plenty of fruit and black olives, but also noticeable tannins and a bit of astringency. Give this time, and thou shall be rewarded!
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9/3/2023 - MadsW wrote: 93 Points
Silky, fruity and not overly meaty. It felt ever so slightly held back, and maybe some more time in the bottle is needed, but for this age it shows really well.
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8/13/2023 - Peter Spijker Likes this wine: 93 Points
Had the '17 followed by the '19, both after having some time in the decanter. The '17 for me was the more elegant of the lot, still with lots of black olive, cherry, some meatiness, herbs and flowers. The '19 is more of the same, but had (even) more intensity and power.
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5/26/2023 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 93 Points
A private dinner with a friend (Café Parlotte, Amsterdam, NL): Exceptional purity and precision, roses and peach, violets and cherries, silky texture, finely grained tannins, fresh and energetic, still very youthful, displays real elegance.
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3/17/2023 - Cake & Fine Wine wrote: 94 Points
When I last had this (Oct 2020), the olive thing was just too much. I was left with the taste of olives for days. It has since improved significantly and integrated. A masculine Syrah with the meat, the smoke and the herbs. Beautiful blueberry and black cherry. The olive is still there but far more in the background (less of an assault). A bit more impressive on the pallet than the nose. It’s still young, quite tight and it’ll surely get better and better.
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2/21/2023 - Stanrocks Likes this wine: 93 Points
93/95
At the estate, same condition as the other wines we had that day...
Nose is quite intense, with "layers" :) M+ IOA, it s quite complex with the spice and fruit, Blueberry, black berry etc... of course the peppery effect, but it has some dried meat as well, a bit of speck, corned beef, sooth, ashes...
Palate is very nice now, with long finish, complex on the palate with both tannins getting integrated and rounded, M+ tannins, M+ Body, M+ acidity, M Alcohol, MIOA with the complexity of fruits and smoky character, smoke not from the oak, but from grapes and the granite, really a dried meat thing !
Very nice wine !
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12/8/2022 - drwine2001 wrote:
Deep purple core. Slow to unfold aromatically, but eventually fennel and violet. Medium bodied, slightly tart acidity, black fruit, herb, bitter chocolate, and a fine dusting of soil throughout. This doesn't have the depth or dimension of the very best vintages, but it grew on me. I look forward to trying it again tomorrow.
Forty eight hours later, more high toned camphor and stemmy aromas, a bit more weight, bright acidity, and much more of the earthy, chocolatey foundation. Not a huge change, but it definitely gained as a result of more air.
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12/6/2022 - mattym19 Likes this wine: 90 Points
By the bottle at Gebr. Hartering in Amsterdam. Decanted for about an hour and a half; it really needed it. Nose is very shy, hard to pick out very much here (though in fairness the restaurant is full of smoke from the charcoal grill). Palate is dried cherries, licorice, thyme and oregano, white pepper, relatively light bodied, definitely more on the fruity side than the savory side, good tannins, great acidity and a finish. It’s good but maybe not great; more finesse than power. Still, paired well with venison and ribeye. Probably needs quite a bit of time still.
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11/23/2022 - brooklynguy Likes this wine:
Archetypical Gonon nose - bursting with dark fruit, flowers, olives, pleasantly stuffed like an overflowing glass. Delicious on the palate, but the tannins are a bit harsh and drying in the finish, in a way that detracts from the overall balance, and in a way that makes me feel that this is not a wine for the long haul. Could be that it’s greatest pleasures are near term.
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8/12/2022 - glou.sf Likes this wine: 94 Points
Savory nose with notes of cocoa, dark fruit, black cherry, violets, and brine. Lots of tannins (although quite soft) with more dark fruit flavors, good acidity, and a gamey character on the palate. Long finish. Very classic Northern Rhone Syrah. So young but really promising. 94+
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7/22/2022 - jrick Likes this wine: 93 Points
Tapenade, warm earth, salt and charcuterie. Very savoury and umami as is mostly the case with Gonon. But there is a core of fresher fruit, black currant, blackberry and sundried tomato. Violet driven potpurri florality. There’s a sticky thickness to this that makes blue-purple tannins cover the inside of your mouth. There’s and echo of stewed herbs through it all.
Great as usual. Needs some air to get the fruit shining through on the savoury palats, but I definitely think it is a good drinking window already for my taste. Not the best vintage of this wine, but a good one.
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2/23/2022 - finediningnyc Likes this wine: 92 Points
Showing pretty well for the early stages of its drinking window after a 2 hour decant. It’s floral, dark fruited and clear Gonon with its black olive tapenade, mineral, and violet inflicted aromas. The palate does show its youth with powdery tannins and compact structure. But I am always a fan of these wines and this will continue to develop nicely.
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2/3/2022 - Alykhan V Likes this wine: 92 Points
Unable to take a proper note
Decanted for 1 hour
Drinkable but still tight and reductive
Concentrated and high quality
Give this at least 5 years or +2 hours in decanter
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12/15/2021 - Stanrocks Likes this wine: 92 Points
From a bottle, at the estate, after the range in barrels, etc...
That wine is not in the best spot right now, greta nose aromatic and fresh, less ripe than the previous ones, herbs, Syrah, etc...
Palate is tight and closed now... will need 5/6 more years now as it really shows an austere phase !
Great wine, probably the best potential in classicality here, will hit a 94/5 probably in its best place.
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9/28/2021 - forceberry wrote: 92 Points
Made from grapes that have been grown organically on predominantly granite soil. Fermented spontaneously in open-top oak fermenters with 2-week maceration, stems and all. Aged for 24 months in old foudres and 600-liter demi-muids. Bottled with ~50 mg/l SO2. 13,5% alcohol.
Deep, luminous and slightly translucent ruby red color with a faint blueish hue. At first somewhat underwhelming and slightly stuffy nose with a bit of reduction and dusty, sun-baked earth that slowly opens up to reveal vibrant yet quite dark-toned aromas of ripe boysenberries and fresh blackberries, some sweeter dark fruits, light herbal nuances of peppermint, a floral hint of Labrador tea and a touch of rubbery reduction. The wine feels ripe, dense and chewy on the palate with a moderately full body and rather focused, savory and dark-toned flavors of juicy dark berries, some game, a little bit of crushed peppercorns, light meaty notes of umami and a crunchy hint of fresh black cherry. As the reductive qualities seem to hold the fruit back a bit, the rather muscular structure of the wine is pretty much to the fore; the acidity feels high and the firm, moderately grippy tannins come across as quite stern yet not aggressive. The finish is ripe, juicy and moderately grippy with firm, savory flavors of fresh boysenberries, some sweeter blackberry tones, a little bit of dark plum, light umami-driven notes of game and raw meat, a hint of tangy salinity and a subtly salty touch of olive.
A rather stern and structured Saint Joseph that is still a mere baby and offers relatively little at this point. Although the wine was aerated in a decanter for more than an hour, it still came across as quite restrained and slightly reductive - although not nearly as closed and reductive as 2016 was, even after hours of aeration. Ripeness-wise, this vintage feels quite similar to 2015, but coming across as more restrained and showing more brooding, darker-toned fruit instead of vibrant, up-front and slightly sweeter fruit of 2015. Although it's a bit difficult to get a full picture of the wine this soon after the vintage, it shows great promise in regard to both its structure and the intensity of its fruit. If opened now, I recommend giving the wine hours of air. However, I heartily recommend letting the wine age for another decade or more - this is really built for the long haul. Expect the score go up with age. Although not that affordable for a St. Joe at 59€, this wine still manages to easily deliver for the price.
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8/24/2021 - Nicephoras wrote:
Great on pop and pour, though there's obviously no rush. It's very open (it's Gonon!), but there's clearly quite a bit of power behind it. I'm not in any rush to open the rest.
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6/13/2021 - fat.metheny Likes this wine: 93 Points
Dark nose of kirsch and blackberry, some peppery syrah tingle, great mouthfeel. Right now is a wine to think about how it will be in 5-10 years. No need to rush it. 93-94+
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4/10/2021 - SARED wrote: 92 Points
Glossy ripe black fruit with juicy med/med+ freshness, a strong overtone of briny black olive tapenade, and some rusticity on the finish at warmer temperatures. Med finish. The ripeness is more sharp than jammy. There is some depth to the fruit and nice briny flavors. I don't feel I missed out on a lot by opening so early?
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2/13/2021 - Vinophiliac559 wrote: 93 Points
Tasted blind, decanted 5hrs ahead, nose of wild strawberries, high intensity, white pepper, a touch of menthol, a little medicinal. Palate matched with medium body, great acid and balance, very young. I was torn between a brawny pinot and St Joseph. This was an impressive wine. Very versatile, completely approachable yet will age gracefully. I will seek more out. 92-93+
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1/11/2021 - blackbrownbeige Likes this wine: 91 Points
I think the keyword here is "concentrated"; the fruit quality is dense, but there's a core of savouriness, olive tapenade, crushed rose petal, and soft and broad blue and purple, even plummy - but not jammy - fruits. The structure itself is elegant, with powdery, dusty tannins rather than jagged or harsh ones. Linear and fresh but, again, tightly compacted and focused but not closed per se. This obviously has tons of mileage and potential but is surprisingly open and generous now, with classic Northern Rhône character. Delicious.
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12/13/2020 - Jeroen Simons Likes this wine: 91 Points
Goes a very long way. Bursting of Intrinsic energy and power. Ticks all the boxes for a great st. Joseph from the classic terroir around mauves. Very open and generous now. A charming and excellent vintage
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12/5/2020 - Nutty08 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Served blind, same bottle as JVIZ the following night. Impressive ripeness and concentration—was sure this was a high end CA Syrah. Oh well. What it is is an impressive polished and well crafted Syrah, with elegant lifted floral notes. Palate is concreted and ripe, showing the “sunshine” but leans more red fruited than purple giving it a solid sense of freshness. White pepper notes throughout and length chalky finish. Tannins a bit corse and chewy, but in the background of the fruit. I get the hype—world class Syrah.
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12/5/2020 - jviz wrote: 93 Points
Showed very well tonight. 17 is open knit enough that these bottles will behave for you now and I think have good mid term ageability as well. Perhaps like 11, folks will sleep on this vintage and later realize it has a lot to offer in terms of freshness.
Tasted over the course of an evening in a couple glasses. The wine screams N.Rhone syrah with kalamata olive, red meat, and fine ground pepper with wisps of smoke. No significant VA and balanced acidity. It’s drinking great early on.
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11/24/2020 - Capitán Sulfito wrote:
I'm sitting on further four bottles of this and I don't know what to think. Great nose with overwhelming, jammy, concentrated black fruit, olive, garrigue, a whiff of iron/rusty nail but the palate does not cut it for me. Too jammy, too ripe, too full-bodied. Maybe time will fix it?
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11/20/2020 - Nicephoras wrote:
Very primary and absolutely delicious. You can feel the slightly solar vintage, as this is a fairly broad wine, but it's beautiful; it's all silky dark fruit and olive tapenade. Disappeared very quickly.
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10/14/2020 - GuWin wrote: 92 Points
Dyp mørk rød-lilla. Herlig rhonesk duft av krekling, bjørnebær og sort oliven. Ung, fast og veldig fruktig. Kompakt, konsentrert og "god juice" i all sin ungdommelighet. Kompleks med masse mørke bær. Andre flaske drukket - vent 3-4 år til neste.
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9/22/2020 - pbaek wrote:
Slightly darker and more tannic than usual. There are notes of tar and black olives on top of flowers and smoked meat scents on the nose. Plenty of dark fruit on the palate, richer than usual, more ripe, but, as usual for Gonon, true to place. This will need time in the cellar to come around and it will be long lived. Wait for now, 3-5 years. At Mangevins in Tain.
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6/28/2020 - brooklynguy wrote:
Black olives. Dark minerality. Darkness, in general. Very little fruit to speak of, which makes no sense except that we drank it on a root day. Open five hours and never got there. Could be flawed bottle but I do t believe so. I think it’s a root day thing, perhaps.
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5/9/2020 - GuWin wrote: 92 Points
Drukket fire ganger over et år ved hjelp av Coravin. Delikat duft av søtlige, modne jordbær, krekling og bjørnebær, et streif av anis og sorte oliven og et lite streif av mørk sjokolade. Saftig og ganske rå fortsatt, som en nyplukkket miks av krekling, bjørnebær og blåbær. Upolert og ungdommelig, med et herlig, rent og nesten naturvinaktig preg. Masse ‘power’, stor konsentrasjon, et ømt tanningrep og syre som i knust krekling. Liten endring siden sist altså, med unntak av at de sorte olivenene er tilbake på duft, og de varme jordbærtonene. Syns ikke denne har tapt seg i det hele tatt, og vi er fortsatt på 92-93 p.
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5/8/2020 - Tony Ling Likes this wine: 92 Points
PNP into Zalto Burgundy glass (“Leaf” day): Medium purplish to the eyes.
Super inky, violets, earthy. Grounded spices. More secondary notes here than fruits.
Good but not high acidity here. Silky but high volume tannins.
Overall this has good substance and appears to be potent over very long term, 92-93 points.
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5/3/2020 - WineAcrobat wrote: 93 Points
Wow. Now I understand. So concentrated but elegant. This is so young I need to get more to see what it turns into.
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4/11/2020 - The Guzz Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted for 2 hours. Savage nose. Earth, olive, lush dark wild berry. Dark purple in appearance. Equally feral on the palate. Substantial scale. Bramble-berry, spice, tobacco notes, young and austere. Not lacking for character.
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1/15/2020 - acyso wrote: 90 Points
The natural way to describe this wine is in comparison to the most recent vintages, and given the vast dichotomy between the style (but not quality) of 2015 and 2016, I would say that this is more in the 2015 camp, in that this is a relatively blacker version of the wine, its fruit profile predominantly burly and dark. This edition, while ripe, doesn't have the same raw intensity and power as the great 2015. It's a little less rich in that sense and perhaps a little less layered as well. The acidity is more prominent; in fact overall, the structure is just more prominent here as the wine doesn't quite have as much stuffing to cover up that structure. This is a perennially delicious wine and I'm happy to have found a small allotment of this, but it's not like the 2015 or 2016 where I'm going to vacuum up all that I can find.
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12/26/2019 - Hanibal Likes this wine: 91 Points
always fun to drink...hard to find
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12/23/2019 - d'Artagnan wrote: 91 Points
Très bon potentiel, mais le vin s'est refermé depuis la dernière fois. À revoir dans quelques années. 91-92+ pts
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11/28/2019 - marcus_francois Likes this wine:
On the nose, straight olives. On the palate, there was a constant evolution between ripe dark fruits, e.g. blackberry, black plum but still in a restrained manner, olives and black pepper. But this is so accessible! I imagine this will get better with cellar time but this drinks well now imo.
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11/23/2019 - Keith Levenberg wrote: 90 Points
Porcini mushrooms, olives, and cracked pepper. And some very screechy tannin, a bit too edgy for a pleasant drink on day one, but it mellows out a bit on the second day (at which point the barrel of olives executes a hostile takeover of the aroma).
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11/16/2019 - vinkeger wrote: 93 Points
Åpen, nydelig nese av tyttebær, rå potet, lyng, urter. Mørk på farge men utrolig forfinet og attraktiv på duft. Elegant og parfymert. Leskende frukt i munn med juicy, men moderat moden frukt. God fylde, høy friskhet. Relativt lettdrikkelig vin. Finkornede tanniner som bygger på seg med luft. Ypperlig balanse, god kons og flott lengde. Savner ingenting her. Drikker bra rett fra flaske, unngå for mye luft.
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11/8/2019 - Villon wrote: 93 Points
Les nez est un peu timide, dominé par la réglisse, l'anis, les fruits noirs et les fleurs mauves. La bouche est dominée par la structure ce qui, à ce stade de grande jeunesse, n'est pas étonnant. Le vin est long et passablement concentré, mais sans excès ni surextraction. Finale sur les tannins fins mais fermes, sans trop d'alcool, avec une acidité modérée. Pas aussi spectaculaire que le 2015 à mon sens (il est un peu plus austère et moins bombe de fruit), mais on parle clairement d'un vin très jeune qui ne livre pas encore tout ce qu'il peut offrir. Déjà charmant mais le meilleur est à venir. Orochaine bouteille dans 3 ans idéalement. 93+
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11/4/2019 - brooklynguy wrote:
Black as night - black olives, loads of black olives. Black fruit, dark mineral tones. The wine is intense and lovely, and very expressive. It feels a bit less structured than some other vintages, and perhaps without as much acidity. I haven't been following the vintage charts, but this feels like a hot vintage version. Nothing wrong with that, but my sense is that this will not need as much cellar time in order to drink well.
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11/2/2019 - Puteljen! Likes this wine: 91 Points
Lots and lots of black olives. Totally dominates on the nose. Also hints of smoke, dark fruit and brambles. On the palate dense and dark. Not sweet, just lots of power. Fruit dark as midnight, fresh oak ashes, more olives and herbs. Medium lenght.
Not much development over 3-4 hours in a decanter.
This needs time, lots of it. Nice to drink now in the name of scientific discovery, but, really, hold. Considerable upside on the score.
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10/7/2019 - Motz wrote: 94 Points
Tasted over two days, the first alongside the same vintage Iles Feray. Highly expressive typicity of variety and place. Testable! The wine features blue fruit, violets, herbs, olive barrel, drying tobacco, lit pipe, smokehouse, and smoldering coal perfume. It tastes like it smells, with an underlying vein of blue fruit liqueur enriching the experience. Inflection-changing range and depth, excellent, if somewhat subtle, structure, never-say-die finish. Bordering on an ethereal elixir. Unequivocally beautiful! Likely to improve. 94-95.
As an aside: This is a more complete wine than the Iles Feray, but that wine's rustic, earth and mineral driven power, places it squarely in my wheelhouse.
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10/6/2019 - d'Artagnan wrote: 93 Points
Le nez est très expressif, avec de classiques arômes de violettes, de framboises, de poivre. L’attaque en bouche est fraîche, très juteuse, éclatante, très charmeuse, elle fait saliver. La pureté du fruit et la finesse des tanins témoignent du travail d’un vigneron exceptionnel. Une petite bombe de fruit qui ne manque pas de finesse et qui ferait la barbe à bien des Côte Rôtie. Spectaculaire! 93+ pts
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8/3/2019 - drwine2001 wrote:
Young Graillot and Gonon (Noe Valley Wine Merchants, San Francisco): Bright, deep ruby/red. Explosive aromas of purple flower and cranberry. Medium weight, quite supple feel. Certainly not a monster in northern Rhône terms. Beautiful blackberry and inner mouth perfume cut off pretty quickly by zesty acidity and moderate tannins. One could drink this now, but better to hold off and attack the Îles Feray instead over the short term. This is really succulent and will be absolutely delicious once it rounds out in a few years.
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7/25/2019 - clayfu wrote:
Can’t remember the last Gonon St Joseph that was this opulent and accessible on release. Huge dark red fruit screams out on the nose. Hints of flower and spice but it’s dominated by the absolute orchard load of fruit. When we put it to our nose for the first time all of us went “woah”. Just weren’t expecting the intensity and forwardness of the fruit aroma.
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The palate was similar. Really opulent and bold wide fruit. Similar in profile of the 2015 with that shimmering red fruit but doesn’t have the tannic structure of the 2015. It’s an absolute hurricane of spiced red fruit that continues deep into the finish. It straddles the line of ripeness without going overboard in the way only a great winemaker can do. Generous and so tasty right now, there’s an ease and elegance to it. If you have plenty don’t be afraid to try one.
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I haven’t read up on the 2017 N. Rhone vintage but based on all my sampling so far it seems like a very fruit generous ripe vintage that’s more easily accessible than 15/16. Seems akin to 2012.
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7/19/2019 - Satoshi Nakamoto Likes this wine: 93 Points
This wine really took me by surprise. I wasn’t expecting it to be so accessible right off the bat. It was easily one of the most memorable wines of a recent lineup.
See clayfu’s notes for details. Like Burgundy Al said, there’s 94-95 point potential here.
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6/6/2019 - pren wrote: 89 Points
拉辛，和les Iles feray 一个flight。闻，同样甜兮兮的水果味儿，口中，相比有点内香，层次。据说gonon自己说，新酒三年内喝，不然等五年后。
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4/16/2019 - Burgundy Al wrote:
Découvertes en Vallée du Rhône; 4/15/2019-4/16/2019 (Ampuis, Mauves and Tain-l'Hermitage): Walk around tasting talking with the producers, brief note. Spice and floral start with ripe berries. Simultaneously elegant powerful, which is tough in such a young wine. Good+ concentration with black cherry and berry aromas, flavors along with black pepper, mint and grilled beef sausage. Very good+ length. So much here. My favorite wine of the tasting. 94-95 point potential.
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4/16/2019 - beatles wrote: 91 Points
Very tight, almost austere with lots of acidity covering the black fruit. It is lighter than the 2016, but the concentration is here, but must come together. Needs at least a couple of years before the second look. 91+
#Bateau Ivre
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4/14/2019 - Jeremy Holmes wrote:
Relatively tight, showing but a whiff of menthol, some dried flowers and blackberry. It is compact, well-proportioned and highly perfumed. A mid-weight Gonon but delicious none the less.
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12/13/2018 - retired_and_roving Likes this wine:
A week in the Northern Rhone; 12/7/2018-12/15/2018 (Lyon, Vienne, Ampuis, Chavanay, Hermitage, Cornas, St. Joseph, Condrieu & Paris): Barrel sampled at the Domaine. Fully blended and a year longer in barrel - this was again so nice with concentrated fruit (blackberry, currants, cranberries), bright acids, minerals and savory action on the finish. Still super young, but another great vintage.
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