Winemaker Notes
Straw yellow with golden tints. Very complex with oaky floral notes.Hazlenuts and yellow fruit. Very full-bodied attack. Fleshy fruit and round palate. A balanced palate with complex aromas and a roundness which is very characteristic of this Saint-Joseph which comes from the best terroirs of the appellation.
Pair with fish and goat cheese.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Just bottled prior to this tasting and brought up in 50% new oak, the 2022 Saint Joseph Lieu-Dit Saint Joseph Blanc has a ripe, medium to full-bodied, concentrated profile that has so much to love. Grilled peach, toasted almonds, and orange marmalade are just some of its nuances, and this beauty has ample mid-palate depth, beautiful balance, and a great finish.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2022 Saint-Joseph Lieu-Dit Saint-Joseph Blanc is the most complex and balanced wine in the Saint-Joseph range, even though it also possesses the most body and texture. Offering up aromas of toasted nuts, crisp stone fruits, citrus and pear, it is medium- to full-bodied, dense and layered, with a fleshy core of fruit and a racy, penetrating finish. Rating: 94+
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Wine Spectator
A decidedly oak-influenced style, with yellow apple and star fruit in a robe of toasty cedar and sweet buttercream. Inner density and complex layers begin to unspool with time in glass, while notes of grilled almond, salted herbs and white tea emerge. Smoky and long on the finish, this is good now but will further integrate with more time in bottle. Marsanne and Roussanne. Drink now through 2030. 40 cases imported.
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James Suckling
A round, fruity and aromatic blend of 95% marsanne and 5% roussanne. Aromas of green pears, blanched almonds, white flowers and a touch of vanilla. It's medium-bodied with a fresh and creamy core of stone fruit and a comforting character throughout. Good energy and verve, with a delicate touch on the palate. Aromatic finish. Drink or hold.
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Vinous
The 2022 Saint-Joseph Blanc Lieu-Dit outperforms the 2020 and 2021. Fragrant spring blossom, white peach, yellow apple and lemon flesh are framed by a light touch of oak. Hitting the palate with solid flavor concentration neatly balanced by fresh acidity, the 2022 Saint-Joseph Blanc Lieu-Dit ends with persistence on the elegant finish.
The Guigal domain was founded in 1946 by Etienne Guigal in the ancient village of Ampuis, home of the wines of the Côte-Rôtie. In these vineyards that are over 2400 years old, you can still see the small terraced walls characteristic of the Roman period. Etienne Guigal arrived in this region in 1923 at the age of 14. He made wine for over 67 vintages and, at the beginning of his career, participated in the development of the Vidal-Fleury establishment.
Despite his young age, Marcel Guigal took over from his father in 1961 when the latter was victim to a brutal illness rendering him blind. Marcel's hard work and perseverance enabled the Guigals to buy out Vidal-Fleury in 1984, although the establishment retains its own identity and commercial autonomy. In 2000, the Guigals purchased the Jean-Louis Grippat estate in Saint-Joseph and Hermitage, as well as the Domaine de Vallouit in Côte-Rôtie, Hermitage, Saint-Joseph and Crozes-Hermitage.
In the cellars of the Guigal estate in Ampuis, the northern appellations of the Rhône Valley are produced and aged. These are the appellations of Côte-Rôtie, Condrieu, Hermitage, Saint-Joseph and Crozes-Hermitage. The great appellations of the Southern Rhône, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Gigondas, Tavel and Côtes-du-Rhône, are also aged in the Ampuis cellars.
Full-bodied and flavorful, white Rhône blends originate from France’s Rhône Valley. Today these blends are also becoming popular in other regions. Typically some combination of Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Roussanne and Viognier form the basis of a white Rhône blend with varying degrees of flexibility depending on the exact appellation. Somm Secret—In the Northern Rhône, blends of Marsanne and Roussanne are common but the south retains more variety. Marsanne, Roussanne as well as Bourboulenc, Clairette, Picpoul and Ugni Blanc are typical.
Spanning the longest stretch of river in the northern Rhône—from Condrieu in the north, to Cornas in the south—the heart of St.-Joseph lies directly across the Rhône River from Hermitage. While its soils are basically the same as Hermitage: granite, supplemented by sand and gravel, its east facing slope receives less sunlight than Hermitage, which causes less overall berry ripening on its Syrah vines. However, some of the best of them can rival any fine expression of Hermitage, Cote-Rotie or Cornas with concentrated black fruits, dark spices, crushed rock and violets. A general advantage of the region is that its Syrahs typically don’t need as much time in the bottle compared to a Cote-Rotie or Hermitage and are much easier on the bank account!
A textbook St.-Joseph red is firm with a core of minerality that is enhanced by savory and peppery qualities. Aromas and flavors of smoke, olives, herbs, and violets are common; its wines are dense in red and black fruit.
St.-Joseph is also a source of fine northern Rhône white wine. Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne grow well here and can be blended or made into single varietal wines. St.-Joseph whites are full and silky with citrus, pear and pineapple flavors and a rich bouquet reminiscent of honeysuckle, toasted nuts, spice and caramel.