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NYTimes: Asimov on StJoseph

PostPosted: Mon Jul 15, 2013 5:46 pm
by TomHill
Nicely done article in today's NYTimes by Eric on the wines of StJoseph:
NYTimes:StJoseph

Interesting about Chave resurecting his family's old vnyds in StJoseph.
StJoseph is where I mostly look anymore for values in NorthernRhone Syrah, now that C-R & Hermitage are so friggin' expensive.
Tom

Re: NYTimes: Asimov on StJoseph

PostPosted: Mon Jul 15, 2013 6:25 pm
by Mark Lipton
TomHill wrote:Nicely done article in today's NYTimes by Eric on the wines of StJoseph:
NYTimes:StJoseph

Interesting about Chave resurecting his family's old vnyds in StJoseph.
StJoseph is where I mostly look anymore for values in NorthernRhone Syrah, now that C-R & Hermitage are so friggin' expensive.
Tom


Indeed. At the risk of spreading the word, I look to Gonon, Faury and Chave (though the latter is experiencing price creep even more than the others) from St. J. Apart from Texier, those are about the only N Rhone Syrah I continue to buy.

Mark Lipton

Re: NYTimes: Asimov on StJoseph

PostPosted: Sat Jul 20, 2013 1:35 pm
by Richard Fadeley OLD
If you have access to a Total Wine they have a nice selection of Croze-Hermitage. I like the entry level '09 from Cave de Tain ($16.99) and the '09 Haut de Fiefs ($21) is even more complex. But their basic Croze-Hermitage is nice and spicy. '09 was purportedly a stellar vintage. I think a few other stores carry the Cave de Tain wines as well. It is not a Total Wine exclusive.

Re: NYTimes: Asimov on StJoseph

PostPosted: Sat Jul 20, 2013 4:58 pm
by Mark Lipton
Richard Fadeley wrote:If you have access to a Total Wine they have a nice selection of Croze-Hermitage. I like the entry level '09 from Cave de Tain ($16.99) and the '09 Haut de Fiefs ($21) is even more complex. But their basic Croze-Hermitage is nice and spicy. '09 was purportedly a stellar vintage. I think a few other stores carry the Cave de Tain wines as well. It is not a Total Wine exclusive.


Indeed not, Richard. Cave de Tain L'Hermitage is the huge cave cooperative located in the town of Tain. They're imported into the US by Kysela and their production dwarfs that of almost every other N Rhone producer, including the big negoce operations. A lot of the big retailers in NYC carry their wines.

Mark Lipton

Re: NYTimes: Asimov on StJoseph

PostPosted: Mon Jul 22, 2013 9:39 pm
by Andrew Bair
Thanks for the link Tom, although I admit that I read it last week when it first appeared in the NYT. Generally, I thought that this was a well-done article, although I would have liked to see some thoughts from Eric on the whites from St. Joseph. I can appreciate a great red from the Northern Rhone, but somehow seem to be more drawn to the whites from that region than the reds when it comes time for me to make a purchase. If Eric would have spotlighted a couple of top white St. Josephs (which would presumably retail for considerably less than most white Hermitage), I would have been even more appreciative of his article. Somehow, Syrah hasn't moved me yet in the same way that Pinot Noir and Nebbiolo can.

I'm also not certain that I can really differentiate between a St. Joseph and a Crozes, but that's another topic.

Re: NYTimes: Asimov on StJoseph

PostPosted: Mon Jul 22, 2013 9:46 pm
by Rahsaan
Andrew Bair wrote:Somehow, Syrah hasn't moved me yet in the same way that Pinot Noir and Nebbiolo can.


Different grapes, different types of pleasures. I go back and forth but at the moment am in a syrah run as I appreciate the less finicky nature of the wines. (Plus I love the flavor profile)

I'm also not certain that I can really differentiate between a St. Joseph and a Crozes, but that's another topic.


I don't think anyone can. Part of the point in that article - as I read it - was that St. Joseph is so large it is not going to have a specific terroir slant. (And the same could be said of Crozes) Instead, people could become more aware of what the different areas in St. Joseph have to offer.

Re: NYTimes: Asimov on StJoseph

PostPosted: Tue Jul 23, 2013 7:42 am
by David M. Bueker
Rahsaan wrote:I don't think anyone can. Part of the point in that article - as I read it - was that St. Joseph is so large it is not going to have a specific terroir slant. (And the same could be said of Crozes) Instead, people could become more aware of what the different areas in St. Joseph have to offer.


I get the first part of your statement here, but not the second. If St. Joseph is too small to have a terroir slant, then what would it offer to slice it up into different areas for appreciation?

St. Joseph to me is differentiated from Crozes by the quality of the small group of producers. Crozes has Graillot and pretty much nobody else. Jaboulet's Crozes bottlings used to be very, very good, but then they fell off a cliff. They came back recently, but in a totally different style (big, extracted) and at a totally different price level (up 100% from what the wines used to cost).

Re: NYTimes: Asimov on StJoseph

PostPosted: Tue Jul 23, 2013 8:05 am
by Rahsaan
David M. Bueker wrote:
Rahsaan wrote:I don't think anyone can. Part of the point in that article - as I read it - was that St. Joseph is so large it is not going to have a specific terroir slant. (And the same could be said of Crozes) Instead, people could become more aware of what the different areas in St. Joseph have to offer.


I get the first part of your statement here, but not the second. If St. Joseph is too small to have a terroir slant, then what would it offer to slice it up into different areas for appreciation?


It's not too small, it's too large. Especially after the expansion in the early 70s. So different parts produce different kinds of wine.

Re: NYTimes: Asimov on StJoseph

PostPosted: Tue Jul 23, 2013 9:02 am
by David M. Bueker
Gaa...posting before coffee gets me again.

Re: NYTimes: Asimov on StJoseph

PostPosted: Tue Jul 23, 2013 2:24 pm
by Jenise
Richard Fadeley wrote:If you have access to a Total Wine they have a nice selection of Croze-Hermitage. I like the entry level '09 from Cave de Tain ($16.99) and the '09 Haut de Fiefs ($21) is even more complex. But their basic Croze-Hermitage is nice and spicy. '09 was purportedly a stellar vintage. I think a few other stores carry the Cave de Tain wines as well. It is not a Total Wine exclusive.


I recently picked up some 09 Cave de Tain's Esprit de Granit for $25 each. Not a bottling I'd seen before. If you're familiar, where does this fit in their line-up?