April 3, 2018 - Pnp through a vinturri. Medium purple in appearance; nose of red licorice and spice box with some dusty raspberries and black peppers. On the palate, there are some sour black plums, tarty cherries, and black peppers; some espresso at the end. Some tannins still remain; medium bodied with a medium finish. Opened up nicely after some more air. Last tasted September 2014. 91-92 pts.
December 5, 2016 - Similar to last year. Loads of white and black pepper and a little mocha mixed in. Purple fruit on the palate with rather heavy winemaking giving this an rather lazy palate--though tasty enough. Moderate finish. Nice mid-week wine.
March 8, 2016 - Northern Rhone with Jordan Mackay (SF Wine Center): Medium ruby to a red rim.
Reductive nose, hints of burnt toast (20% new oak, 40% 1-year, 40% 2-year) - holds the oak well. Black pepper, white pepper, underripe green olive, tart blackberry, rosemary, herbs-du-provence. Lean and aggressive acid.
Medium body, moderate plus alcohol - 13.5%? (correct), medium plus acid - strong, medium tannins.
8.5-9
November 17, 2015 - First glass very nice. Smooth and well balanced. Looking forward to the next bottle. Hoping it ages well.
September 6, 2015 - nose is big with dark cherries, earth & green tomatoes
palate is full with very well integrated acidity & long spicy finish
defiantly a high class & well made syrah
not overpowering, classy & takes time to open up
a little young & will get better in the next 3-6 years
April 19, 2015 - Allegedly 100% Serine (an ancestor of Syrah). Exotic nose of black tea and white pepper. White pepper in the mouth with a finish of dark fruit. Likely been drinking well for some years; drink in the next two.
March 30, 2015 - Importer tasting: According to the fact sheet the wine is made of 100% Serine (which is ancient Syrah) and not destemmed. The wine gets 20% new oak. The result is a classical wine with that typical Northern Rhone bouquet with minerals, leather and meaty impressions. Good garrigue and red and black berries and cherries as well. Good fresh acidity as well as a touch of sweetness, pleasant tannin. An elegant and beautiful wine. Early maturity now.
March 13, 2015 - This Saint- Joseph by Chateau de Saint Cosme is made with 100% Sérine, an ancient clone of Syrah grape, originating from the Northern Rhône (some people think it´s a grape of it`s own, rather than clone). Some also claim that Sérine has actually more complexity, and even more pronounced "Northern Rhône Syrah typicity" of smoke, pepper, olives, bacon fat etc. than regular Syrah. Well, this wine certainly doesn`t debunk that claim.
Wine is aged in 20% new oak – 40% in one year old barrels – 40% in two years old barrels.
Nice, quite transparent, ruby red color.
Not super strong, but inviting bouqet; ripe strawberries, plums, smoke, a bit of oak(that faded away pretty fast), vanilla and black pepper.
On the palate wine feels very fresh, with strawberries, boysenberries, a bit af gaminess, and a good touch of pepper. Has also a strong smokey and savory characters, which is highly delicious. Good acidity, and polished tannins. Alcohol is totally hidden. Medium to long aftertaste of strawberries, smoke and a total white and black pepper galore, almost like a pepper bomb explosion.
Not an easy wine to understand maybe, even feels at first a bit introvert. But It`s a wine that grows on you slowly, and at the end you`re totally hooked, maybe like the Northern Rhône as a wine region in general. Excellent and pure Northern Rhône Syrah(or Sérine) typicity. Elegant, and classical wine, which is not trying too hard. Though, I must say that this has all the elements of being even a much greater wine, and with just a little more umpf(better vintage? ageing?) it could be just that. Nevertheless an absolutely beautiful wine.
91-93
February 22, 2015 - Decanted the wine for 30 minutes prior to drinking. On opening, there was lots of spice, and some wet wood on the nose. The wood aroma faded quickly. The wine was filled with dark fruit and some pepper. After an hour, the wine had opened and was very enjoyable.
January 29, 2015 - This is a very nicely styled vintage for the cosme St. Joe. Highly recommended for the price.