Saint Joseph Les Granits, Maison M. Chapoutier 2019

Glass-staining ruby. A highly complex, expansive bouquet evokes fresh dark berries, olive paste, potpourri and incense, along with exotic spice and smoky mineral notes that build steadily with air. Sweet, focused and penetrating on the palate, offering intense, spice-accented cassis, boysenberry, cherry preserve, smoky bacon, olive and violet pastille flavors that are braced by a spine of juicy acidity. Melds concentration and energy with a sure hand and closes with resonating minerality and superb, youthfully tannic persistence. Sourced from two vineyards of mostly old vines at Tournon.

Dense purple-hued, with a meaty, powerful bouquet of blackberry liqueur, acacia flowers, licorice, crushed stone, and pepper, the 2019 Saint Joseph Les Granits is another brilliant example from this vineyard that I'd be happy to have in the cellar. Medium to full-bodied and concentrated, with sweet tannins and a dense, structured mouthfeel, it's going to require 4-5 years of bottle age.