Alain Voge St. Joseph Les Cotes - 2020 (750ml)

Domaine Alain Voge has been producing Saint-Joseph for about ten years. From the 2015 vintage, our Saint-Joseph takes the name of the locality from which it comes: Les Côtes. Very great potential for this terroir which is expressed little by little, as the vines age. Average age in 2018: 13 years old.

• Reduced sulphitage - SO₂ total 86 mg/l (authorised in organic farming: 100 mg/l).
• Production: 4,447 bottles
• Ageing potential: 10 years

A vintage on the opposite footing... After an episode of too much mild winter in February, the historic frost of 8 April hit hard our plots of Saint-Péray (Ongrie, Prieuré) as well as the lower parts of Cornas. In the end, we deplore a 50% loss in Saint-Péray, with only 2 cuvées produced: Harmonie and Fleur de Crussol, of very good quality, marked by the freshness of the vintage. On Cornas, the hillsides partly compensated for the loss due to frost, but the very rainy (896 mm/m²) and late season (harvest from 13/09 to 02/10) offered an "old-fashioned" vintage, fresh and chiseled, with alcohol levels falling sharply, but less marked differences in alcohol/tannin maturity than in hot and dry years.

92 points Wine Spectator

Fresh and lively, this has impressive energy driving the plum and crushed blackberry notes, which are laced with smoked bacon, incense and black tea. Mouthwatering acidity and salty earth make this particularly food friendly and vibrant, with white pepper and violet adding aromatic lift. Drink now through 2023. 240 cases made, 55 cases imported.

(90-92) points Robert Parker

Voge's 2020 Saint Joseph Les Cotes—from a parcel in Mauves—came across as slightly exotic in the blind-tasting lineup, with hints of violets, licorice and stone fruit. Maturing in older barriques, it's medium to full-bodied and supple on the palate, with an attractive softness that lingers on the finish. Joe Czerwinski