2018 Saint-Joseph Rouge Vignes de L'Hospice Guigal

This is packed with dark fig, blackberry and black cherry compote flavors, all wrapped in apple wood and bacony toast before ending with a swath of warm earth on the finish. Rock-solid, with range and depth for the cellar.

Featuring pronounced violet aromas and spice-riddled red berries on the nose, the full-bodied 2018 Saint-Joseph Vignes de l'Hospice is eerily reminiscent of the 2015. It's full-bodied, plush and velvety, yet it retains great detail and complexity, finishing long and elegant.

95P+: First made in 1998 (and 2001 was the first vintage made completely under Guigal) and from a gorgeous hillside vineyard located just behind the village of Tournon, facing Hermitage, the 2018 Saint Joseph Vignes De L'Hospice offers a vibrant, crystalline bouquet of cassis, cracked pepper, violets, and liquid rock-like minerality. I always find a Hermitage-like austerity in this wine, but the 2018 has wonderful ripeness, full-bodied richness, silky tannins (but plenty of them), and a great finish. Give it 4-5 years and enjoy over the following 15+.