2021 Domaine des Pierres Seches St. Joseph Rouge “Cuvee 1930”
– One of My Top Wines I Drank from Anywhere in 2023 (9.8/10)
– One of the Best St. Jos I’ve Ever Had
– From Vines Planted in 1930
– Now a Special Cuvee
– A Stunning Wine of Epic Genius
– Cote Rotie-like Nose
– Citrus Rind, Tree Bark, Spices, Violets
– Super Dark Florals
– Granite, Wet Clay
– Dark Blackberry Fruit
– White Pepper
– Violets
– Endless Depth on the Palate
– Sappy, Dense, Concentrated and So Peppery
– Finish is So Delineated, Gamey and Meaty
– Big Time Dark Energy
– Crazy, Magic Wine
– Very Small Allocation/Needs (Demands?) 8-10 Years Of Aging
2021 Domaine des Pierres Seches St. Joseph Blanc “Cuvee 1930”
– Easily One of the Greatest White Wines Made in the Rhone Today
– 2022 – One of The Best White Rhone Vintages Since I Opened Fass Selections
– Big, Rich Nose
– Lots of So-called “Gras” and Nougat
– Good Minerals
– Spice. Tons of Cinnamon
– Very Complex
– Chestnuts as it Aerates
– Unreal Aroma of Lime/Lemon/Granite Zest
– Almost Overwhelming Aromatics
– Apricots and Peaches
– Palate is So Elegant
– Ridiculously Complex
– Mind Bending Purity
– Ripe and Rich
– Incredible Mineral Freshness
– Dazzling Purity
– Insane Juiciness
– Lovely Blood Orange, Pineapple and Tangelo
– Honeysuckle, Peach, Mango, Apricot
– Very Small Allocation
“I don’t have much experience with this domaine, which was created in 2007, but I certainly came away impressed. These are well worth the extra effort to track down.”
Jeb Dunnuck
The Birth of Athena
As many of you know, Athena was born fully formed (and armored) from the head of her father Zeus. The back story is rather grim. Zeus was interested in her mother Metis and after a lengthy pursuit, had his way with her. He later found out that Metis’ second child would overthrow him so he swallowed Metis whole. Later, Zeus developed the headache to end all headaches and Hephaestus split his skull open to relieve the tension, giving birth to Athena. This did in fact cure the headache (don’t try this at home).
I told you it was grim.
Both wines today are basically super cuvees. The best plots of a great winemaker. The 1930 was split off from the regular cuvee. These wines are simply put, incredible.
I know that the Rhone lovers will all jump on the red. For the quality, it’s a steal. And a brilliant wine.
But everyone should really also buy the white.
The white is one of the best white wines we sell. Just a beautiful beast. Dense, sexy, complex, delicious but at the same time elegant and balanced. It’s a masterpiece and when everyone figures out what St. Epine is, prices are going to be in the same range as the other great white wine regions in the world.
Sylvain Gauthier
I’ve been working with Sylvain Gauthier since the beginning of Fass Selections. From 2014 on, he is can’t miss. His 2021s are not just better than his outstanding 20s but dramatically better. It’s his best vintage. He nailed the reds in this vintage. There is a finesse, transparency and confidence in his wines now starting in 21. Sylvain’s wines have improved so much we started working with him and I can honestly say that they are knocking at the door of the big boys (Gonon/Chave/Gripa) quality-wise at 1/2 to 2/3 the price. Many of my most valuable clients whose palates I respect the most also agree. The reds are so good and such crazy values, I know everyone will stock up. He has a sense of refinement and authenticity to his wines now with thrilling fruit and also a super classic expression of St. Joseph. But there is also an extraordinary density to these. You open one up and you know it will be good but not THAT good. It’s that type of wine. For those not into just labels and you really want quality Sylvain Gauthier is the guy to go to. It has the elegance and classicism of a Gonon, the luxurious texture of an Allemand on a smaller scale and the density and structure of a Gripa. But it’s all Gauthier. And they age as well as anybody. The 2013 St. Joseph is still going strong.
The Wines
First up is the greatest wine Sylvain Gauthier has ever made. The 2021 Domaine des Pierres Seches St. Joseph Rouge “Cuvee 1930″ for $64.99 a bottle on a 4-pack. As the name suggests these are from vines planted in 1930 and are the oldest vines of the estate and in 2019 the fruit was so good that Sylvain decided to separate them out into a special cuvee. Now in 2021 we have the 3rd vintage. Just a stunning wine of epic genius. It’s as epic a St. Joseph as I’ve ever had and competes with all the famous names that have graced these pages before. I don’t need to mention them as you know them by now. This is the the new flagship wine of the estate now and Aubert has been phased out. This is easily now one of the most in demand wines in St. Joseph.
The new elite high end bling bling cuvee from Sylvain Gauthier of Domaine des Pierres Seches is transcendent. I’ve been waiting to taste the 2021 for a long time. What a nose! Cote Rotie like! Super dark florals, granite, wet clay, dark blackberry fruit. lifted, complex and super elegant. A nose that stops you in your tracks. White pepper. Violets. My goodness the florals are like elite Cote Rotie. Just stunning. Best nose on a Gauthier wine ever. Nose starts to develop black and green olive after some air. Wow the granitic freshness that develops after air is something else. After many hours this just gets better and better. The nose smells like a JM Stephan Cote Rotie. Citrus rind, tree bark, spices, violets. Florals. Just an amazing wine. Complex granite and forest floor. Concentrated and so elegant, with great power and structure. Gets to every nook and cranny. Vivid olives on the mid and backend.
Sappy, dense, concentrated and so peppery. Amazing and I mean amazing freshness. Finish is so delineated, gamey and meaty. Concentrated but so lightweight! Wow. The texture here is crazy. This has endless and uncommon depth. Unreal length. This is super super elite wine. Wow, I am speechless. This is one of the best St. Jos I’ve ever had. Remarkable in every way. Big tannins that are so sweet and so ripe. This wine has big time dark energy but man is it good. Lurid. Crazy tiny berry fruit intensity. Just explosive. A wine of contemplation and also way too young. This could be as high as 9.9 with age. Abundant yet ripe tannins. A magical bottle of wine. 9.8 is my final score. Just transcendent. Please wait 5 years to drink as it might be a 9.9 or even 10 in that time and needs the time as there is major structure.
“The 2019 Saint Joseph Cuvée 1930 shows more red fruits, but it’s another full-bodied, ripe yet balanced and elegant wine from winemaker Sylvain Gauthier. The tannins are beautifully polished, the purity of fruit is top-notch, and it has plenty of classic Northern Rhône iron, leather, and meaty, peppery aromas and flavors. This cuvée is all Syrah, from a single parcel of south-facing granite soils and 90+-year-old vines. You can’t go wrong with any of these latest releases from this estate! – 94 Points, Jeb Dunnuck (2019)
I’ve also got the 2022 Domaine des Pierres Seches St. Joseph Blanc “Cuvee 1930” for $64.99 a bottle on a 4 pack. This is the new flagship white of the estate. I have so little of this. This used to be a cuvee called Aubert and before that was called St. Epine. This is easily one of the greatest white wines made in the Rhone today. This is a profound wine and gets overlooked a bit because Sylvain’s reds are so good. This wine has a texture to die for and the depth is incomparable. It’s on my short list of elite St. Jo Blancs.
The list in no particular order.
Domaine des Pierres Seches St. Joseph Blanc “Cuvee 1930”
Emmanuel Darnaud St. Joseph Blanc
Bernard Gripa St. Joseph Blanc “Le Berceau”
Sebastien Blachon St. Joseph Blanc “Islaline”
Pierre Gonon St. Joseph Blanc “Les Olivieres
Big, rich nose with lots of so called “gras” and nougat. Good minerals. Tropical fruits. Spice. Tons of cinnamon. Very complex. That combo of exotic Roussanne and huge minerality is only the N Rhone can do. Tree bark, chestnuts, as this aerates. Caramel, orange blossom. So so complex. Just masterful. The Xmas spices are out of control on the nose after 15 minutes. Then more as it gets air. Unreal aroma of lime/lemon/granite zest, rich custardy fruit. Almost overwhelming aromatics. Some nougat as well. Some apricots and peaches as well. Just insane complexity.
Palate is so elegant. And it sizzles with excellent acidity. My god. But ripe and rich and incredible mineral freshness and dazzling purity. Insane juiciness with lovely blood orange, mango and tangelo flavors. So so clean and pure. Lovely long finish and just awesome length, finesse and structure. Really long. Dazzling. Superb. Insanely juicy and so much energy and the spice and citrus on the palate are so vivid. So unique and delicious! The palate is just so insane and has just beautiful clarity, depth, complexity, freshness and linearity. It has incredible richness allied with freshness and flavors of honeysuckle, peach, mango, pineapple, apricot, yet all on a background of granitic minerality. It is so ridiculously complex. There are nutty and herbal elements that give to terrific impression of freshness and depth. Really, really terrific freshness to this wine. It’s floral and so mineral on the finish. If there is one thing in 22 the wines all taste fresh yet still have a sense of beguiling refinement and complexity. What mouthfeel and texture. And icing like texture and so utterly mind bendingly pure. So clean and so balanced. It’s amazing how complex these wines are today. This has a finish that does not quit and leaves your palate with Bosc pear, papaya and mango and just such a sense of refreshment. Super mineral and stunning finish. Just goes on and on and on and assaults the palate with minerals and pure fruit. Wonderful elegance and class. Waves into and becomes a part of your palate. It’s a genius wine. It will drink well over the next 10 years
Please call Cheryl at 949 378 5251 after emailing with your order if you are a first time customer (we prefer not to receive credit card numbers over E-Mail).
OFFICE HOURS 4-7 PM
I love drinking and selecting wines – but my passion for teaching people about wine is almost as big. I’m happy to announce a block of time each day where people can call me just to chat about wine in general. These blocks are NOT intended to sell wine (I do that all day). This is to talk to me about wine pairings or great producers or how long to age wines or styles of wine making or the latest wine controversy. My goal is to help people learn more about wine and enjoy it more. Call me at 917-912-4355 from 4-7EST Monday – Friday.
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