February 8, 2024 - Northern Rhône (Noizé): Ready to drink but still a life ahead of it. White pepper, good acid. On the palate there's black olive, rocks, stone, some oil tones - this is proper stuff. An evening where you got to contemplate a few glasses of this would be a good one...but this was only the opener.
January 20, 2024 - Pearl of Burgundy gala dinner: A treat to have tried such an old Gonon. Everything was seamlessly integrated here as the brash blue fruit and savoury notes of younger vintages had mellowed. A wine to contemplate, a shame that I didn’t have a chance to follow this wine since I only got a tasting portion.
July 14, 2023 - Excellent
A point
May 27, 2023 - Très jeune, j'aurais dû le carafer. Vu ce que sentent les fonds de verre deux heures après l'ouverture, il aurait été bien supérieur encore. Un grand St Jo ce soir, jeune donc, sur un fruit presque primaire, très ouvert, presque baroque, avec une densité remarquable. C'est très très bon, et très facile à boire. Une belle bouteille bue avec les cousins en hommage à celui qui l'avait achetée. 2007 est un sacré millésime en rhône nord, quoi qu'on en dise.
February 26, 2023 - Excellent from mag, everything you'd hope for
May 4, 2022 - Meals in France; 4/30/2022-5/6/2022 (France): Asian five spice is the star here, with plenty of mostly mature black plum and cherry, plus lots of earth and faint mushroom. Tannins arexstill a bit too pronounced for the level / maturity of fruit, but she’s k into the background when enjoyed with a meat course.
February 7, 2022 - Will T’s St Joseph @ Hawksmoor (Hawksmoor, Guildhall): A little flat. Lacks the brightness of the 08. A bit dull and lifeless. Some interest on the nose but it’s not there on the palate. Bare ***
October 30, 2021 - One bottle in the cellar, and I decided tonight was the night. Honestly I was underwhelmed. Initially still rather grapey, it got more interesting at about the ninety minute mark, but never displayed a depth of flavor to account for the inflated reputation (and price). It certainly had the expected roasted, rare meat and tapenade notes, but never an extra gear. Maybe the expectations were ahead of the wine, but I wouldn’t ever spend more than $40 for a bottle like this.
July 16, 2021 - Lacked the bacon fat of last bottle, but was luscious with air time. Clearly needed 1+ hour in decanter to fill out. Good structure.
January 15, 2021 - Five years since I last opened this wine. I believe this was my last bottle, bought on release. It was good, not as awesome as I had hoped. Good aromatics on uncorking, with dried herbs. Palate is resolved, no real delineation of specific fruit, which is to be expected after thirteen years, but it's murky, compote-like, blue-black-brown hued, secondary with brothy notes, savory. Lacks the prettiness and high notes of Cote Rotie, and the layers and depth of Hermitage. Looking over my past tasting notes, it was more compelling in the past. I should have opened it sooner or, frankly, sold it.