The 2016 Saint-Joseph from Pierre Gonon has gained power and depth since I last tasted it. Revealing a delicate, perfumed bouquet of dark cherries, black olives, tapenade and violet, it's medium to full-bodied, layered and precise, with a seamless texture and a fleshy core of fruit framed by velvety tannins, culminating in a long, energetic finish.

Inky ruby. Pungent black raspberry and cherry cola aromas are complemented by suggestions of potpourri, olive and allspice. Silky and expansive on the palate, offering spice-tinged red and blue fruit flavors that show excellent delineation and back-end thrust. Lively and seamless in texture, finishing with minerally drive and harmonious, slow-building tannins. The interplay of power and finesse here is quite impressive.

Superb, exotic nose with stemmy, meaty and smoky complexity. What a beauty! A cross between the charm of Côte Rôtie with the structure of Cornas. Still very primary, yet the tannins are digestible now. (RH)