January 8, 2024 - Big fan of '11 Northern Rhones, and Chave rarely fails to meet my expectations. Best after an hour or so of air. Red fruited, savory, with textbook Syrah markers--tapenade, smoke, bacon fat, garrigue. Seductively textured with a long finish. Drinking well now, but I think upside remains.
December 15, 2023 - Similar to my note from 2018: textbook Syrah, darker fruits, savoury notes, really starting to drink well now. Perhaps a bit of upside potential left, but this is drinking extremely well right now so I'll likely drink my bottles over the next 3-5 years
July 17, 2023 - Dinner with the wine group (Sole Ristorante, San Mateo): Awesome, incredible black and pink peppercorn, smoky, meaty spice, bacon fat; palate is medium bodied, medium-plus acidity, wonderful Syrah complexity with some game, spices, meaty musk; finish is long. This is spectacular Syrah in a less than spectacular vintage. 93-94+
January 27, 2023 - Terroir driven, drinking well now, dark currents
January 21, 2023 - Green peppercorn, leather, earth, blackberry, white pepper. More savory than sweet and drinking quite nicely.
October 16, 2022 - 2 hrs slow ox, but even better on Day 2. Notes from 24+ hrs open. On the nose: black raspberry, soft game, blood, stone. So pure. On the palate: fantastic density and acid...loads of black raspberry, iron core, granite, leather. So pure and absolutely amazing.
September 17, 2022 - Drinking beautifully right now, peppery notes, typical syrah nose. Will hold for a few years but at the end of secondary phase, that I like it.
July 30, 2022 - Impressive St Joseph. Not the meaty style, more about refinement. With a distinct herbal note to keep it fresh. Would say it is at it’s peak now, and a very nice peak it is.
April 9, 2022 - This is at its peak now. And requires no decant. Chave is indeed one of the great masters, Turning an off vintage into a very genuine terroir model yet not toying with ripeness or balance.The Syrah is on point— black pepper but not a ton, briary, deep dense forest floor, smokey dark cherry tones, a bit of rough character. Medium in body, not like the 2010 in corps or complexity but just delicious now.
August 22, 2021 - Opened 3 hours earlier. Medium ruby center that is not opaque, gentle fading at outer quarter. Red flowers, wintergreen, and a harsher green stemmy element (fennel?). Medium body, pretty raspy feel early on but more air definitely softened and harmonized the texture. Ripe blackberry fruit, slightly awkward acidity sticking out, strong finishing soil and moderate tannins. Sometimes it is easy to appreciate the elegant Chave Hermitage style in the St. Joseph, but not so for this wine, which is a weedier, more rough and tumble French Syrah. Very good quality with some limited upside potential over the next few years.