While the regular cuvée displays honeyed ripeness, Gripa's 2019 Saint Joseph Blanc Le Berceau—old-vine Marsanne from the lieu-dit Saint-Joseph in Tournon—features scents of crushed stone, pencil shavings and citrusy fruit. Entirely barrel fermented and aged, it's medium to full-bodied, concentrated and shows ample length and freshness on the finish. I've been deliberately conservative with my aging estimate but wouldn't be surprised to see this drink well for a decade or more. It's certainly among the top white wines from the appellation.

One of the top wines at the estate is the 2017 Saint Joseph Blanc Le Berceau, which comes from old-vine Marsanne in Tournon's lieu-dit Saint-Joseph. Buttered pear and muskmelon notes mark the nose, while the palate is medium to full-bodied, plump, round and harmonious. Hints of baking spices add interest to the soft, lingering finish. While I've indicated a rather short/young drinking window, I wouldn't be completely surprised if well-stored bottles were still performing well after a decade.

The 2016 Saint Joseph Blanc Le Berceau is a slightly bigger, richer wine than the regular white Saint Joe. Almond-skin notes accent pear and citrus, and this wine shows lots of spicy, white-peppery sensations along with hints of tropical fruit on the medium to full-bodied palate. The only thing keeping me from rating this higher was a hint of phenolic bitterness on the finish.

A bigger, richer effort that comes from the old vines of the estate, the 2015 Saint Joseph Le Berceau Blanc is loaded with notes of caramelized peach, crushed rocks, brioche and white flowers. Still a touch backward and reserved, it needs a year of bottle age, but is a sensational white not to be missed. To give some perspective on when to drink these, the 2013 is incredible today, and I’ve tasted this cuvée going back over a decade with terrific results.

Always a step up over the classic cuvee, the 2014 Saint Joseph Le Berceau Blanc is a bigger, richer wine that still plays in the overall elegant, crisp style of the estate. White peach, stone fruits, citrus blossom and a Burgundian-like toastiness all emerge from this gorgeously layered, pure, elegant white. It needs a year in bottle, but will have 10-15 years of longevity.