Josh Raynolds, Vinous.com
The Gonon brothers' wines have become real objects of desire in recent years. And while they've become increasingly difficult to purchase here in the U.S. they’re well worth the hunt as well as the inevitably higher prices that they now command. Pierre Gonon told me in December that he considers 2013 to be "a classic vintage in style, with elegance and freshness emphasized," but he also thinks that the wines will be best enjoyed on the young side "while the fruit is strong." He's more confident in the ageworthiness of the 2012s and is particularly fond of "the silk and harmony of the tannins," which will allow the wines to age as well as to be enjoyed in their youth. Gonon opened a bottle of the 2005 Saint-Joseph at the end of our tasting and the wine is simply gorgeous, with intense red fruit and floral character and supple tannins that fade smoothly into the wine's fruit. If you have any, consider yourself fortunate. And you probably paid less than half what the '12 will be going for, to boot.
