E. Guigal E. Guigal Saint-Jospeh Vignes de l'Hospice 2022 750ml

Cassis, liquid violets, and scorched earth notes define the 2022 Saint Joseph Vignes De L'Hospice, a remarkable Saint Joseph that unquestionably ranks with the greatest wines from the appellation. Made from 100% Syrah and aged 30 months in new French oak, it shows medium to full-bodied richness, focused intensity, and substantial yet ripe tannins.

This is packed with dark fig, blackberry and black cherry compote flavors, all wrapped in apple wood and bacony toast before ending with a swath of warm earth on the finish. Rock-solid, with range and depth for the cellar. Best from 2022 through 2035. 600 cases made, 100 cases imported. (James Molesworth)

The 2022 Saint-Joseph Vignes de l'Hospice is textural and concentrated, wafting from the glass with aromas of dark berries, mulberries, flowers, spices and gentian mingled with delicate oaky notes. Medium- to full-bodied, broad and dense, with a seamless, layered core of fruit, it concludes with a long, perfumed finish. Keep it for 8–10 years before pulling the cork.

Cassis, liquid violets, and scorched earth notes define the 2022 Saint Joseph Vignes De L'Hospice, a remarkable Saint Joseph that unquestionably ranks with the greatest wines from the appellation. Made from 100% Syrah and aged 30 months in new French oak, it shows medium to full-bodied richness, focused intensity, and substantial yet ripe tannins.

Featuring pronounced violet aromas and spice-riddled red berries on the nose, the full-bodied 2018 Saint-Joseph Vignes de l’Hospice is eerily reminiscent of the 2015. It’s full-bodied, plush and velvety, yet it retains great detail and complexity, finishing long and elegant.

<br/>A modern-style St.-Jo, featuring ripe plum, licorice and fig cake enrobed with a flattering brush of toasted cedar oak. Streaming and rich with impressive intensity, this will have many fans. Focused, with tangy precision on the persistent finish, marked by smoldering graphite, chewy chocolate, violet and spices. Drink now through 2040.

Cut from the same cloth yet more rounded, supple, and sexy, the 2018 Saint Joseph Vignes des Hospices is another Hermitage look-alike with its burning embers, graphite, crushed flowers, and meaty dark fruits. I love its texture, it’s full-bodied and concentrated, and it will be drinkable at an earlier age than the 2017.

Coming from a cooler, granite terroir just above Tournon, the 2019 Saint Joseph Vignes De L’Hospice is a serious, age-worthy beauty, and I always find a certain Hermitage-like character in wines from this vineyard. Full-bodied, concentrated, and powerful, it has masses of tannins as well as remarkable purity, and ample fruit and concentration. The aromatics lean toward the blue end of the spectrum, but it’s a mineral-laced, peppery, beautiful Saint Joseph in the making. A solid 4–6 years, if not more, of bottle age are recommended.

Perennially among the best bottlings from the appellation, the 2019 Saint-Joseph Vignes de l’Hospice looks set to rival the tremendous effort bottled in 2015. Enticing scents of crushed stone, pencil shavings and cassis appear on the nose (it ages in 100% new oak), and while this full-bodied wine packs plenty of power, it also shows characteristic granite-derived restraint, delivering a tense balance between ripeness and structure. It should be a beauty, but give it time, as the tannins are prominent at this early stage of its evolution.