2022 E. Guigal St Joseph Lieu-Dit Blanc, Northern Rhone, Rhone Valley

Just bottled prior to this tasting and brought up in 50% new oak, the 2022 Saint Joseph Lieu-Dit Saint Joseph Blanc has a ripe, medium to full-bodied, concentrated profile that has so much to love. Grilled peach, toasted almonds, and orange marmalade are just some of its nuances, and this beauty has ample mid-palate depth, beautiful balance, and a great finish.

95 points jebdunnuck.com

E Guigal St Joseph Lieu Dit Blanc from the Northern Rhone is a luxurious and finely detailed white wine that showcases the precision, depth and texture that the Guigal family brings to every cuvée they produce. Made entirely from Marsanne grown on some of St Joseph’s steepest granite slopes, this wine embodies the elegance and complexity that define the best whites of the Northern Rhone — rich yet vibrant, powerful yet restrained.

The fruit is sourced from a single lieu-dit vineyard, a specific site of exceptional character within the St Joseph appellation, where vines cling to ancient granite terraces overlooking the Rhone River. The grapes are hand harvested at full ripeness and fermented in new and seasoned French oak barrels using indigenous yeasts. The wine is then matured for around 12 months on its fine lees, gaining texture and aromatic complexity without losing freshness.

In the glass it glows pale gold with green highlights. The aroma is intricate and alluring, revealing layers of pear, quince and white peach alongside notes of acacia blossom, almond, vanilla and wet stone. The palate is full and rounded yet finely balanced, with flavours of honeyed pear, citrus zest and toasted hazelnut carried by lively acidity and a long, mineral finish. There is a wonderful interplay between richness and precision — a hallmark of Guigal’s house style.

It pairs beautifully with roasted chicken, lobster, scallops, or creamy mushroom dishes, and is equally at home with aged cheeses like Comté or Beaufort. While expressive young for its fruit and silkiness, it will age gracefully for 10 to 15 years, developing notes of honey, beeswax and truffle with time.