« Coup de Coeur » in this Vintage ! Great success, due in large part to the noble origin of the grapes, all from the best Terroirs.
The vintage

Northern Rhone Valley is the localisation which succeeded best in 2013. Syrah wines are colored, juicy, with a bright fruit that harmoniously marries with hints of liquorice, black currant liqueur...
Some cuvées offer a remarkable concentration, especially in the grands terroirs, where the old vine was able to fully play its role of regulation. These cuvées have the dimension of a great vintage… the yields, very low, are one of the major keys to this success.

Terroir

Landonne, Chavaroche, Rozier, les Rochains.

Type of soil

Schists.

Ageing

12 months in new barrels. Tronçais et Allier. Then 12 months in foudre.

Serving

16°C
Decant 2 hours before tasting.

Tasting

Côte Brune expresses beautifully, with hints of smoked bacon and graphite.

Alcohol content

12,5%

Bottling

Without fining and filtration.

Cépages

Serine
Syrah

Côte Rôtie-like in its violet, olive and sweet raspberry and blackberry-scented bouquet, the 2013 St Joseph Vieilles Vignes is medium-bodied, elegant and finesse-driven, with notable purity and balance. It will evolve gracefully for upward of a decade.

Jeb Dunnuck
Wine Advocate , 89-91/100 , 2014-12-01

Purplish crimson. From the Côte Brune, and another extremely intense wine. Salty and savoury and uncompromising – again with more ripeness than many of its peers. Are these wines late picked or does the whole-bunch fermentation lead to this roundness? Rounder and broader than most Côte Rôtie yet with the trademark freshness of the appellation. Really humming and a bit like a Dyson on the palate.

Jancis Robinson , 17,5/20 , 0014-00-06

Réussite magistrale du complexe millésime 2013.

Guide Bettane et Desseauve des vins de France , 17/20 , 2015-08-20

Energetic, with engaging, vivacious bramble, savory, violet, bay and anise notes flowing along, leading to pure cassis and bitter cherry flavors.

James Molesworth
Wine Spectator , 93/100 , 2016-03-08

Opaque ruby. Seductive, mineral-accented aromas of blueberry preserves, cherry cola, violet and olive paste and a smoky mineral topnote. Dark berry liqueur flavors provide excellent energy, breadth and depth, displaying a subtle vanilla accent and building spiciness. Plays richness off vivacity with a sure hand and shows no excess weight. Finishes with impressively persistent black and blue fruit notes, velvety tannins and strong, spicy persistence.

Josh Raynolds
Vinous , 93/100 , 2016-02-01