2016 Pierre Gaillard Saint-Joseph Rouge 750 ml

Old World Syrah with a Modern Winemaking Touch

Just one degree separates the 2016 Pierre Gaillard Saint-Joseph and the man Robert Parker called the “planet’s greatest winemaker”—Vigneron Pierre Gaillard is a protege of winemaker Marcel Guigal, the third-generation Northern Rhône royal who earned that sterling praise from Parker. This beautiful Saint-Joseph showcases what Gaillard learned from the master: It was mellowed for 18 months in partial new French oak, and micro-oxygenated periodically throughout élevage to soften and round out a creamy mouthfeel. Gaillard is well-known for producing Saint-Joseph wines that compete with those of the Northern Rhône’s more-celebrated and much more costly Crus. His 2016 Saint-Joseph hails from a vintage that Vinous lauded for its “elegance, freshness and detail.” Peppery, mineral-rich, bursting with black and blue fruit, wild floral notes, and ready to drink now, you can go to NYC’s legendary Gramercy Tavern tonight and pay $21 for a glass, or you can secure several bottles for just $29.99 each—25% off the release price—on Wine Access. Shipping included on 6.

Rhône enthusiasts and experts know that the Northern Rhône’s Saint-Joseph is a treasure trove of gems that deliver top-notch quality at more affordable Northern Rhône prices—if you know where to look. This is why, in Saint-Joseph, the producer and the specific terroir are so crucial.  

Pierre Gaillard’s winegrowing saga began in earnest in 1981, when he purchased Clos de Cuminailles in Malleval, a medieval town in the far north of the Saint-Joseph appellation, near Condrieu and Côte-Rôtie. This is where Domaine Pierre Gaillard has been based ever since, and where his Syrah vines are planted on the steep granite hillsides that slope down to the Rhône river.

The appellation has expanded tenfold in the last 50 years, but those minerally banks are what most of the quality-minded producers of Saint-Joseph have in common: Several years ago, Jancis Robinson singled out Gaillard as a producer who, along with legends like Chave and Jaboulet, were guarding the reputation of Saint-Joseph, even going so far as to say that she was so impressed by his Saint-Joseph that she could “almost have taken it for a Côte-Rôtie.”

Gaillard learned from Marcel Guigal, and the smallest details count: His Syrah is hand-picked, sorted, and completely destemmed, then vinified to maximize extraction: After a cold maceration, warm fermentation, and several daily punch-downs and pump-overs, the wine spends three more weeks macerating on the marc—the spent grape skins. An 18-month stint in French oak, 15-20 percent of it new, follows. Gaillard has also made the choice to micro-oxygenate—a technique commonly employed with Bordeaux varieties to soften their tannins and make them more suitable for early consumption.

In an elegant year for Saint-Joseph, Gaillard’s touch results in a classic Northern Rhône red, bursting with black and blue fruit, floral notes, and rich minerality. Primed for a few years in the cellar, but begging to be enjoyed right away.