There is something about the Syrah grape that is incredibly compelling. Many Sommeliers around the country would agree that the five famous wine appellations (AOCs) of the Northern Rhône have set the benchmark for this distinguished varietal. The Syrah-based wines of Côte-Rotie, Hermitage, Crozes-Hermitage, Cornas and Saint-Joseph all differ in style because of the varying soil and microclimates of the region. When grapes from these storied sites are vinified by the world’s best producers, there is a purity and energy found that can’t be put into words. Of all the top producers of Northern Rhône Syrah, the wines of Pierre Gonon are very fairly priced, and the fact you can experience a Syrah of this quality for about $50 is unreal.

The Gonon brothers are some of the hardest working vignerons I have ever met. Typically, farm workers are hired to do the laborious work on these steep terraces; however, these brothers do most of the difficult work themselves. They look like they spend 10 hours a day in the gym, no joking aside. The most sought after producer in the history of Saint-Joseph was Raymond Trollat, who retired in 2005. The Gonon family was very lucky to purchase many of his terraces, which are considered to be the best in Saint-Joseph, and these specific vineyard sites produce the grapes that are in today’s wine. The brothers farm these 9 hectares of vines completely naturally without the use of any chemicals or fertilizers. The grapes are partially destemmed and fermented in large open vats then pressed into a mixture of used large foudre and 600-liter barrels for 14-16 months before being bottled unfined and unfiltered.

The 2014 Pierre Gonon Saint-Joseph is incredibly concentrated with a dark purple center moving to a magenta rim. The aromatics are absolutely stunning showing intensely complex notes of wild blackberries, boysenberries, ripe black plum, black cherry, wet violets, dried meat, black olive and, wet earth and crushed rocks. On the palate the wine in full bodied and has beautiful ripe black fruits, wet purple flowers, wild herbs, meat and olive flavors with velvety tannins and an incredible freshness. The power and richness of this wine are nearly impossible to put into words. The wine is young and delicious right now, but this wine needs ten or more years to show its potential. I would recommend not touching this wine for at least three more years, ideally 7-8 or more to really see how good this wine can get. If drinking young, please decant 2 hours and serve at about 60 degrees out of a Bordeaux stem. With more age, only about 30 minutes of decanting is needed. The fact we were able to purchase a small amount of this wine is an honor for SommSelect.