{"product_id":"2016-pierre-gonon-saint-joseph-northern-rhone-france","title":"2016 Pierre Gonon, Saint-Joseph, Northern Rhone, France","description":"\u003cp\u003eAccording to Vinous, “Gonon is what Saint-Joseph is all about: elegance, classicism and a level of terroir-driven transparency that is hard to beat.” Brothers Pierre and Jean Gonon have run the family domaine in Mauves, the historic heart of the appellation, since 1989, farming roughly ten hectares spread across some forty plots on the granite slopes of Mauves, Tournon, and Saint-Jean-de-Muzols, the three original communes of Saint-Joseph. Their father founded the estate in 1956, the same year the appellation was recognized, and the brothers have added to it with care, most famously the century-old vines in Saint-Jean-de-Muzols they took on from the legendary Raymond Trollat when he retired. The vineyards are farmed organically and plowed by horse where the slopes allow. Every new planting comes from their own massal selection, and the single red cuvée is fermented with indigenous yeasts in old wooden vats, largely whole cluster with the proportion shifting by the year, before a year or more in well-used demi-muids and foudres. The result is the reference point for syrah on granite: perfumed, savory, and built to age.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe 2016 season opened cold and wet in the Northern Rhône before summer turned warm and dry, ripening the fruit slowly and evenly into a late harvest. In the cellar the brothers destemmed just a tenth of the crop, leaving the stems to lend pepper and grip to a vintage that imparted fine tannins and lift to begin with. The critics were unanimous on the outcome: 95 points from both The Wine Advocate and Decanter, 94 from Vinous, with Yohan Castaing noting on a return visit that the wine had only gained power and depth.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA decade on, it’s hitting its full stride. Black cherry, black olive, and tapenade lead the nose, with violet, tobacco leaf, and a trace of iodine underneath. Medium to full-bodied and velvety in texture, the fruit still has flesh to it, framed by polished tannins and carried on a current of energy into a long, smoky, savory finish. This is the type of vintage that classicists wait for. Drink through 2035.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Yes Society","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67952046244136,"sku":"AT16GONONSJ750","price":225.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0779\/1794\/6152\/files\/PierreGonon_Saint-Joseph.jpg?v=1792701945","url":"https:\/\/yes-society.com\/products\/2016-pierre-gonon-saint-joseph-northern-rhone-france","provider":"Yes Society","version":"1.0","type":"link"}