Delas, Francois de Tournon, Saint Joseph, Rhône, 2010

Tasting: Saint Joseph 2010

Reticent cherry and blueberry nose, fresh and piquant. Medium-bodied, perky and lively, but relatively lightweight with a modicum of tannins and grip. An attractive early-drinking style, fresh but not structured or particularly long.

Tasting: Saint Joseph 2010

Deep colour and distinctive nose of cassis and a hint of aniseed; floral too; all very enticing. The palate betrays expensive winemaking with crowd-pleasing mocha and vanilla behind the griotte fruit. St. Joseph for the international market, a little anonymous in terms of provenance but extremely pleasing in virtually every other respect.

Tasting: Saint Joseph 2010

Dark red; smoky, pine woods air, very much the St. Joseph of yore, mingling tar, rubber, blackstrap airs, some hunky game, a drift of flowers. The palate is well-filled, broad at first, and that strong starts takes it some way along. It ends on more dry, nutty note. Decant this, since there is a note of reduction. A child of country hills, not the laboratory.