The 2007 St.-Joseph l’Olivaie is fashioned from 50-year old Syrah vines, and is aged in 20% new oak. From the northern sector of St.-Joseph, in the area known as Sanjon Muzols, this cuvee reveals crisp acids intermixed with raspberries, sweet and sour cherries, loamy soil, and roasted herb characteristics. Lovely fruit, complex aromatics, and medium body suggest it should drink well for 3-4 years. Jerome Coursodon is one of the young Turks producing high quality wines in his cellars, which are just up the street from those of Gerard and Jean-Louis Chave. The Coursodon cuvees still sell at fair prices, and they are well-worth seeking out. I was thrilled to hear that his 2006 reds have completely sold out, which tells me consumers have gotten the message as to how good these wines are. The 2007 whites are reminiscent of a northern Rhone white blended with a Chablis. The three cuvees of 2007 red St.-Joseph had already been bottled when I saw them. While they are all very good, they do not measure up to Coursodon’s 2006s.Importer: A Patrick Lesec Selection, agent for the U.S. market, Chemin des Vins, Sherborn, MA; tel. (508) 545-1532

Fragrant, complex nose of bright cherry jam, wild strawberry, sour plum, hints of juniper, fresh black pepper, vanilla and a savory, earthy minerality. Full-bodied and concentrated with layers of ripe black fruit, black olives, soft leather. Smooth, rich with firm, taut tannins and a persistent freshness that prevails on the long savory finish. ——W.E.(10/15/2010)—— 90