A light but elegant Saint-Joseph, created with Syrah grapes grown on the upper half of granitic hillsides and aged 9 months in oak. We find it great for everyday drinking.

• 

  Colin Talcroft

  Light, fruity, grapey scents mingle with suggestions of caramel, butter, and ripe red fruit. Straightforward and immediately appealing on the palate with an attractive, sapid quality. Good body, light tannins, and good acidity combine for a balanced flavor profile. Savory, subtle, restrained. Appealing now but likely to soften somewhat with another year or two in bottle.

  Food pairing: Lamb; sausages; grilled or barbecued meat; pungent stews; pepper steak; dishes flavored with olives or pungent herbs

A light but elegant Saint-Joseph, created with Syrah grapes grown on the upper half of granitic hillsides and aged 9 months in oak. We find it great for everyday drinking.

• 

  Colin Talcroft

  A deep purple-red suggesting youth and with attractive earthy, meaty scents on the nose, developing cocoa notes after a little air contact. Up-front, concentrated, rich fruit; delicate tannins; and a streak of bright acid make for a nicely balanced wine rather more refined and elegant than Saint-Joseph often is. Has a particularly seductive resurgence of fruity sweetness on the finish. A good example of the appellation. Tasty now but likely to develop further with a few more years in bottle.

  Food pairing: Chicken with morels, ratatouille, duck, lamb, turkey, lasagna, pizza

Rarely exported, this white Saint-Joseph is made of 100% Marsanne grapes, grown on granitic soil. More flavorful and fruity than an Ermitage White, with more richness and breadth on the palate than a Saint-Peray.

• 

  Colin Talcroft

  A nose characterized by toasty scents with hints of honey, butter, and ripe figs. Good body. Clean fruit on the attack, followed by a richer, slightly unctuous mid-palate. Soft, round, approachable. Notable for attractive, slightly musky scents and flavors developing on a moderately long finish.

  Food pairing: Chicken; veal; pasta in cream sauce; risottos featuring asparagus, mushrooms, or other strongly scented additions; rich shellfish dishes; strongly flavored, fleshy fish such as sturgeon

A late-harvest sweet wine, unusual for the region, the Condrieu Patience evokes violet and yellow fruit. Harvested from 20-year-old Viognier vines and only made on exceptional years, Patience is a lovely reward for those who can wait for it.

• 

  Cheryl Bringuez

  In lieu of dessert, some prefer to serve a decadent dessert wine with an accompaniment of cheeses. This beauty has flavors of honey, apricot, acacia, and pure joy. Very pleasant, honeyed mouthfeel. Stone fruits a-plenty on a drawn-out finish. A dessert wine, but not syrupy, thick, or overly sweet. If you find an irresistible blue cheese or camembert, pop the cork on this bottle to go along with it.

  Food pairing: Cambozola cheese

A dry but mellow cuvée, this Condrieu is a blend from 30-year-old Viognier vines in different parcels. We find it sweet but not cloying, perfect with food.

• 

  Deborah Adeyanju

  The nose—mostly suggesting wet stone, earth, and mushrooms—has an almost rancio character with hints of white flowers and other floral elements in the background. Honey and lychee flavors play on the palate. Rich and heady, the fruit flavors are so concentrated the wine gives an impression of sweetness, yet it is quite dry. Stony minerality marks a lengthy finish.

  Food pairing: Indian and other Asian foods

Pichon’s Côte-Rôtie is lighter and more elegant than Côte-Rôties from other producers. Made with Syrah and Viognier grapes from 30-to-40-year-old vines, then raised 13 months in 75% new oak, this is a sumptuous, full-bodied Rhône that ages slowly.

• 

  Deborah Adeyanju

  Toasty oak and blackberry aromas on the nose are prominent elements on the palate as well, joined by truffles, dark chocolate, and background floral notes. Dense, with a chewy texture and muscular tannins, this full-bodied strongman needs time. Likely to be approachable from 2017–2019.

  Food pairing: Game, juicy steak in a pepper sauce

The Guide Bettane et Desseauve gave this wine a commendable 15/20 rating. Fermented in stainless steel tanks, it’s raised 13 months in new oak barrels.

• 

  Cheryl Bringuez

  Freshly picked strawberries rolled in white pepper on the nose. On the palate, this wine has more spice than fruit but as the wine ages more fruit will pop out. For now, plenty of pepper and nutmeg lingers on the finish.

  Food pairing: Steak

Made exclusively from the Rozier parcel, with vines 10-55 years-old, this Côte-Rôtie blends sturdy Syrah grapes with a small amount of delicate Viognier. Raised 13 months in mostly new oak.

• 

  Cheryl Bringuez

  Tasty and approachable now, but likely to develop through around 2017. Delicious tangy raspberry flavors. The nose is not especially earthy, but you can taste a hint of clay soil on the mid-palate.

  Food pairing: Charcuterie

Made exclusively from the Rozier parcel, with vines 10-55 years-old, this Côte-Rôtie blends sturdy Syrah grapes with a small amount of delicate Viognier. Raised 13 months in mostly new oak.

• 

  Colin Talcroft

  Closed on the palate at present, featuring big tannins. Somewhat paradoxically, it’s already rather spicily effusive on the nose, offering up dark fruit, cinnamon ball candy, leather, meat, peaches, cloves, cola, and nutmeg scents—a pleasure just to linger over. This wine will need time to open up. Likely to be more approachable by around 2017 and likely improve through around 2020 or beyond.

  Food pairing: Lamb; game; sausages; grilled or barbecued meat; pungent stews; pepper steak; dishes flavored with olives or the more pungent herbs

Created with Pichon’s oldest and best exposed Viognier vines, then aged in new oak for 9 months, this Condrieu is rich, ripe, and concentrated. It is Pichon’s top Condrieu!

• 

  Cheryl Bringuez

  A happy, zingy wine with loads of pear, tangy apricot, and spice. Ripe fruit but also herbal notes (I detected a bit of basil.) A perfect wine to drink outdoors with grilled fish and spring vegetables.

  Food pairing: Grilled halibut

The top Côte-Rôtie of the domaine. Grown in the Côte Blonde, whose paler, more crumbly soils yield more delicate and earlier-drinking wines than its neighbor, the Côte Brune, this Syrah was raised 18 months in new oak. Already dazzling now, it will reward for the next 8-10 years.

• 

  Colin Talcroft

  Honey, smoky oak, and a slight spiciness in the nose — appealing even before the first sip! Concentrated, intense fruit on the palate — suggestions of citrus, pine, and chocolate. Bright, rich, fruity and perfectly balanced with a shot of chewy tannin and just enough acid to balance its richness.

  Powerful, yet elegant. Complex and shifting. A truly beautiful wine that’s full of delightful surprises.

  Food pairing: Delicious to drink all by itself, but, if you must, try it with lamb; game; sausages; grilled or barbecued meat; pungent stews; pepper steak; dishes flavored with olives or the more pungent herbs