Domaine Pierre et Jerome Coursodon, St. Joseph, Olivaie 2012
Appellation: St. Joseph
Region: Rhône
Country: France
Color: Red
Varietal(s): Syrah
About The Producer
The father-son wine making team, Pierre and Jerome Coursodon, are nothing but impressive. They are rising stars that need to be on your short list for the Northern Rhone. This dynamic duo (4th and 5th generation winemakers) work the steep inclines of St. Joseph with backbreaking care to produce astonishingly beautiful St. Joseph wines. They own 16 ha with 13.5 ha planted to Syrah and 2.5 ha planted to Marsanne and Roussanne vines.Terroir & Vineyard Practices:
The vineyards face south, south-east on the very steep slopes sitting in shallow granite soil. Old-vines that are Goblet pruned. High density planting. No mechanization is used, only manual work is permissible in the vineyards.Tasting Notes
The Olivaie is a generous and full-bodied Syrah and one of the greatest wines from the estate and St. Joseph appellation. Saturated dark crimson color with purple reflections. A concentrated nose of red fruits and spices. On the palate the wine has length and power, revealing silky tannins completed by a well-balanced structure. With cellaring the Olivaie becomes more rich and velvety, revealing great aromas.Vinification
Strictly manual grape harvest and with a first sorting in the vineyard. The grapes are brought to the winery in 40kg wooden tubs. The second sorting is done upon arrival at the winery with 100% destemming. Maceration and fermentation are made in open vats for 18 days with punching the cap twice a day. Aging in oak barrels for 15 months (15% new oak barrels).Press
- 92 points - Wine Advocate: "Showing some sweet oak in its jammy blackberry and plum fruit, licorice, and spice-drive aromatics, the 2012 St Joseph l’Olivaie is medium to full-bodied, fabulously rich, has no hard edges and sweet tannins that emerge on the finish. A forward and sexy Saint Joseph, drink it over the coming 6-8 years. Drink 2014-2022." - Jeb Dunnuck, Wine Advocate
- 91-93 points – Vinous: “(all aged in barriques, 25% new): Inky ruby. Fresh blueberry and candied violet on the highly perfumed, spice-accented nose. Fleshy, seamless and broad, offering intense black and blue fruit flavors and a sweetening note of vanilla that gains strength with air. The spicy quality comes back on the finish, which clings with excellent tenacity and just a hint of tannins. These vines are now over 60 years old, according to Coursodon.” – Josh Raynolds, Vinous
- 90 points – Wine Spectator: “Features a lovely toasted frame, with a warm cocoa note melding with the crushed plum and blackberry preserve flavors. A graphite bolt on the finish drives this along. Rock-solid. 650 cases made.” — JM, Wine Spectator