Blachon Saint-Joseph 1996

[zenda2]

Mr. D, I really think you'll enjoy it, and hope you'll track down a good bargain bottle of Saint-Joseph. Wine from the northern Rhone can be pretty spendy, but from all I've read Saint-Joseph wine isn't as expensive as Hermitage, or even the Crozes-Hermitage for several reasons:

Location: S-J is across the river, it isn't grown on those legendary terraced hillsides around Hermitage, so it's not as concentrated, not as powerful as Hermitage.

Reputation: the hills are not as steep, the grapes are easier to grow, the juice is not as powerful, so the rep suffers compared to the grapes across the river. And truth to tell, there are some growers in Saint-Joseph who produce too many grapes, make some thin wine. BUT...just because it's not 'the worlds most famous syrah' doesn't mean it's all bad juice. It's just not instantly the worlds best. Is this bottle of Blachon worth a ten spot? Dang tootin' it is.

Amount: The Saint-Joseph appellation extends, off and on, for about 30 miles. There can be a lot of grapes grown there. This leads to lower prices. The appellation, compared to the Hermitage zone, is immense.

The trick is to find a Saint-Joseph producer or two who care about their wine, and then give it a try. I've read good reports on Roger Blachon, and I'm certainly happy with this bottle at this price. In fact, bowled over, planning to go back and buy lots more while the store still has it.

The 'vintage charts' indicate the '96 wasn't a really great year in the Northern Rhone, compared to some of the recent good harvests, and that suits me...I want something to drink soon, not another bottle to hide for 10 years.