Tim L

8.9

Joseph Wagoner, Winemaker…therefore, assumption is it’s the Caymus family. Many Wagoners out there are good news. Good, tasty, medium bodied etc etc and balanced, the key to a may-buy-again-even-if-it’s-not-a-big Russian River Pinot. Reasonable value. Santa Barbara, Monterey and Sonoma Counties. — 2 months ago

Jay Kline

9.4

I met up with a buddy who is a huge Napa guy. It’s what he knows and to his credit, he has great knowledge of producers and has good taste. We decided to grab a bite at Buvette and he asked if I would pick out the bottle. He said he trusted my judgment, so I walked over to the Rhone wall and noticed the 2019 Jean-Louis Chave Saint-Joseph. Knowing the style, I figured it would touch some of the things he would be familiar with, particularly right now in its youth.

Popped and poured; no formal notes. The 2019 Saint-Joseph pours a deep purple color that stains the glass. On the nose, the wine is fresh and redolent of ripe black fruits and some blue fruits: blackberries and other dark brambly fruits along with some blueberries. The non-fruits were also there: beautiful purple flowers, black pepper, rocky minerals and some lovely vanilla and baking spices. On the palate, the wine was big, full-bodied and had great structure, nearing that medium+ range across the board. The acid is fantastic and the finish was long and savory. It’s easy to draw comparisons between Chave and Gonon as anymore, they share a similar price point and both are known leaders in the appellation. From my perspective, the Chave S-J comes across a bit more focused on the fruit, floral and spice characteristics while the Gonon S-J highlights the bacon fat and rotundone. Otherwise, both are excellent examples. FWIW, my buddy loved the wine (chalk one up for the Old World!) and it was an excellent pairing with our braised short ribs. Drink now to enjoy its youth or enjoy through 2034+. — a year ago

Joe Flo

9.2

Solid J. Phelps Napa Cab. — 3 years ago

Jeff Christner

9.1

Beautiful rosé-ish hue in the glass. Lovely. — 3 months ago

MICHAEL COOPER DipWSET

Owner TomeVinos wine shops, WSET Level 3, Blogger www.spanishwinesandmore.com, blog.tomevinos.com

9.3

Delicious. From #languedoc area so warmer climate riper fruit. Reminiscent of Californian #pinot #pinotnoir — 7 months ago

Fredybeans

9.1

Belle marsanne sans presence du bois intempestif
J aime bien — 3 years ago

Fredybeans

9.1

Nez fume grille viande grillée
Bouche basalmique fruit rouge fraîche belle usité mais assez courte
J adore cet équilibre — 3 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.3

‘Las Alturas' Spanish for 'the heights', a fitting name, this vineyard located on one of the highest grape-growing benches in the Santa Lucia Highlands AVA. 4th gen Winemaker Joseph J. Wagner from family with farming & winemaking roots in Napa since 1906. Met Joe several times. Deep Ruby (darkest Pinot I have come across). Nice berry and floral spice aromas. Rich cherry/plum flavors with oak, spice and vanilla. Long finish, bold ending with sweet oak notes. Very Nice! A Fav! — 4 months ago

Jeremy

9.3

Great! Compares well to the KJ VR. Would prefer more oak. Will buy again. — 3 years ago

Andrew Hsueh

10

Works really well with any pork dish! — 3 years ago