2020, Domaine Jean-Louis Chave, SAINT-JOSEPH Rouge

As with the 2020 L'Hermitage, I tasted this wine in its components, shortly before blending and bottling. This vintage is highly successful at Chave, and this wine, which would qualify as the gateway bottling made from estate fruit, looks to be outstanding, with juicy, spice-laced red and blue fruit character of noteworthy freshness, plus strong florality and mineral drive. I was also struck by the fineness of the tannins, which will likelt make the final wine deceptively approachable on release. Don't be fooled - this wine has a long and enviable track record for rewarding patience. 96-97 Josh Raynolds, Vinous. 

All the lieux-dits I tasted that make up this domaine's Saint-Joseph were showing well and expressed their typical characters, this promising to be a precise style with clear, complex aromatics. It's possible that the rose-scented lieu-dit Bachesson components might be bottled separately this year - in which case you should buy it without hesitation. 94 Matt Walls, Decanter. 

Drinking Window: 2025 - 2030