TN: 2020 Gonon Saint-Joseph

[PhilippeCamps]

Good choice for warm weather… Served a bit colder than normal, and slowly opening up in the glass, this is a perfect BBQ wine

Too bad that they become difficult to chase… @William, do you have upcoming alternatives, that are not yet chased?

[MChang]

I feel during intolerably hot weather the first thing I’d reach for wouldn’t be northern rhone Syrah.

Yeah it was 102 here in Dallas last night so it was gin and tonic, and then cold champagne…but that said, it’s steaks and old napa cabs with my dad on Tuesday when it will also be 100+ degrees at 6:00.

I really do not understand these comments in this modern era. Don’t y’all have AC? If I went by the heat rule, I’d be drinking white wine 9 mos out of the year, and that ain’t happening!

Well in some places there actually are seasons.

[Pau1_M3nk3s]

I feel during intolerably hot weather the first thing I’d reach for wouldn’t be northern rhone Syrah.

Well, I initially opened a Savoie red at 11.5%, but it was full of brett and as the charcoal smoke percolated through the courtyard and I went down to the cellar to find its replacement and saw the case of Gonon, well…

Charcoal fire + Syrah = magic.

[Robert.A.Jr]

Yeah it was 102 here in Dallas last night so it was gin and tonic, and then cold champagne…but that said, it’s steaks and old napa cabs with my dad on Tuesday when it will also be 100+ degrees at 6:00.

I really do not understand these comments in this modern era. Don’t y’all have AC? If I went by the heat rule, I’d be drinking white wine 9 mos out of the year, and that ain’t happening!

Well in some places there actually are seasons.

We have seasons:

Cool/cold beach - winter

Cool beach - spring

Hot beach - summer

Cool beach - fall

365 Perfection!

[YLee]

Why is this even a topic? Let people drink rhone if they want to. I can drink anything when it’s hot. If it bothers you that much, go get a soda or seltzer. It’s not like rhone wines are boiling hot. Geez. Next thing I read is you cant drink champagne during xmas because its winter.

[Claus_Jeppesen]

I feel during intolerably hot weather the first thing I’d reach for wouldn’t be northern rhone Syrah.

Yeah it was 102 here in Dallas last night so it was gin and tonic, and then cold champagne…but that said, it’s steaks and old napa cabs with my dad on Tuesday when it will also be 100+ degrees at 6:00.

I really do not understand these comments in this modern era. Don’t y’all have AC? If I went by the heat rule, I’d be drinking white wine 9 mos out of the year, and that ain’t happening!

In cold Denmark we drink cool Riesling and Champagne 12 months a year. Sometimes we grab a Gonon St Joe or Allemand afterwards

[Otto_Forsberg]

In cold Denmark we drink cool Riesling and Champagne 12 months a year. Sometimes we grab a Gonon St Joe or Allemand afterwards

You call Denmark cold?

One of my friends lives in Aarhus because Denmark is such a warm country.

[Scott_Brunson]

I feel during intolerably hot weather the first thing I’d reach for wouldn’t be northern rhone Syrah.

Well, I initially opened a Savoie red at 11.5%, but it was full of brett and as the charcoal smoke percolated through the courtyard and I went down to the cellar to find its replacement and saw the case of Gonon, well…

First world problems at their very best!
Sounds great.

I really do not understand these comments in this modern era. Don’t y’all have AC? If I went by the heat rule, I’d be drinking white wine 9 mos out of the year, and that ain’t happening!

Well in some places there actually are seasons.

We have seasons:

Cool/cold beach - winter

Cool beach - spring

Hot beach - summer

Cool beach - fall

365 Perfection!

Starting in 2024, when the beach is too cold, just drive an hour and a half south.
I’ll have the grill ready.

[Claus_Jeppesen]

In cold Denmark we drink cool Riesling and Champagne 12 months a year. Sometimes we grab a Gonon St Joe or Allemand afterwards

You call Denmark cold?

One of my friends lives in Aarhus because Denmark is such a warm country.

Relatively to Tampa or Tucson, not Helsinki
Even though some of my fondest summer memories are from Finland

[Otto_Forsberg]

Relatively to Tampa or Tucson, not Helsinki
Even though some of my fondest summer memories are from Finland

Yeah, I hear you. Finnish summer is my favorite week of the year!

[Claus_Jeppesen]

Relatively to Tampa or Tucson, not Helsinki
Even though some of my fondest summer memories are from Finland

Yeah, I hear you. Finnish summer is my favorite week of the year!

I remember long summers with warm winds from the east and cool swimming in the skärgård, drinking Koskenkorva afterwards

[Chris_V]

Dark fruit tones mingle with notions of black olive, cracked pepper, violets, spices and carnal nuances, without any distracting makeup, in a bouquet that all too few Rhône producers manage to deliver.

This comment really struck me, as I totally agree. I’ve had a bunch of Northern Rhone recently and have been surprised that even some producers reputed to be very traditional don’t totally deliver this profile. Some young Levets recently tasted, while very classical wines, didn’t really have these aromatics on display (hoping they just need age to bring that out), also a young Barge Cote Rotie, again lovely wine, but didn’t really have these markers. Yet once in a while you find something, sometimes even cheaper like a Francois Villard IGP Syrah I had recently that really had much of what I’d expect to be typical for Northern Rhone.

What vintages are you talking about? Many of these wines do need time to showcase those aromatics that we love, but from my perspective, the more recent ripe vintages do not currently show the aromatics as do the more frangrant, open vintages. Compare the ripe vintages of 2015 and 2018 to vintages like 2011 and 2014. Often these vintages are overlooked with the hype of the “big” vintages, but yet for many palates on this Board, I suspect that the less-hyped vintages might actually be better buys all around. For example, the 2014 Juge for current drinking blows away the 2015 and 2013. Maybe in 15 years or more things flip, but damn am I charmed by 2014. Same thing about 2011 Gonon and 2011 Levet.

The ones coming to mind were

2013 Bernard Levet Côte-Rôtie Améthyste
2014 Bernard Levet Côte-Rôtie Améthyste
2015 Bernard Levet Côte-Rôtie Améthyste
2016 Domaine Barge Côte-Rôtie Côte Brune

All very good and classical wines, clear Northern Rhone character, but I didn’t find any of these overtly peppery or olivey.

[GregT]

I really do not understand these comments in this modern era. Don’t y’all have AC? If I went by the heat rule, I’d be drinking white wine 9 mos out of the year, and that ain’t happening!

Well in some places there actually are seasons.

We have seasons:

Cool/cold beach - winter

Cool beach - spring

Hot beach - summer

Cool beach - fall

365 Perfection!

Same in southern CA.

Cool beach - winter
Fire season - spring
Rolling blackout season - summer
Fire season - fall

[Otto_Forsberg]

I remember long summers with warm winds from the east and cool swimming in the skärgård, drinking Koskenkorva afterwards

I live with the constant presence of both, yet I long for neither!

I guess one has to be removed far enough from them to find appreciation for them.

Or then this is just some Danish madness I fail to understand.

[Craig_G]

Or then this is just some Danish madness I fail to understand.

Yet there is method in it.

[MChang]

It’s hot af here today. I can’t imagine drinking Syrah.

We had some lovely Vincent dancer chard on the patio with bbq chicken and sweet corn.

[Robert.A.Jr]

It’s hot af here today. I can’t imagine drinking Syrah.

We had some lovely Vincent dancer chard on the patio with bbq chicken and sweet corn.

It hit 100 degrees today in Orlando. I came home to a broken AC. Don’t ask me how, but after a phone call with the AC guy (ok, in truth, wife had that call and I watched), many texts with my boys (Todd and Kane know all, Jorge just complains and Fu says woke stuff of no consequence), and a friend bringing over his wet vac, I was able to suck a drain line clean and get it working again. Although, I did break the drain line, so still need someone to come out to fix this shit. Will prolly cost me more now, but the house is nice and cozy again at 70 degrees.

So what am I drinking: Bordeaux. A 2012 Sociando Mallet. Delish.

[Alan_Rath]

It’s hot af here today. I can’t imagine drinking Syrah.

We had some lovely Vincent dancer chard on the patio with bbq chicken and sweet corn.

It hit 100 degrees today in Orlando. I came home to a broken AC. Don’t ask me how, but after a phone call with the AC guy (ok, in truth, wife had that call and I watched), many texts with my boys (Todd and Kane know all, Jorge just complains and Fu says woke stuff of no consequence), and a friend bringing over his wet vac, I was able to suck a drain line clean and get it working again. Although, I did break the drain line, so still need someone to come out to fix this shit. Will prolly cost me more now, but the house is nice and cozy again at 70 degrees.

So what am I drinking: Bordeaux. A 2012 Sociando Mallet. Delish.

70? 70?! Man, you are so weak

[Claus_Jeppesen]

I remember long summers with warm winds from the east and cool swimming in the skärgård, drinking Koskenkorva afterwards

I live with the constant presence of both, yet I long for neither!

I guess one has to be removed far enough from them to find appreciation for them.

Or then this is just some Danish madness I fail to understand.

I admit there’s a great deal of madness coming from Denmark, but I really liked the Suomen Kesä

[Otto_Forsberg]

I admit there’s a great deal of madness coming from Denmark

I’ve noticed

but I really liked the Suomen Kesä

Yeah, I do admit it is really lovely when the summer is at its best. For example right now we have a wonderful kesä going on here. Nothing but warmth and sunshine.

But then again, my friend in Aarhus starts sending pictures of spring and sunshine and everybody just hanging out having picnics and whatnot, starting in mid March or early April, whereas this year we still had snow here in Finland until mid May. I am very much a summer person, so I really don’t understand why I live in a country where we have 2-3 months of warmth and 9-10 months of miserable darkness!

The worst recent period was probably a few years ago when one summer ended in August 2016 and the next one started in May 2018 - in 2017 we really had nothing but rain, clouds and hailstorms throughout the summer! So while Suomen kesä can be wonderful, it can be pretty darn unreliable as well!