2010 Barou Saint Joseph - A Great Value Returns! Condrieu, Marsanne and Viognier, too!

8/13/12 - 

Customers who purchased the 2010 Barou Saint Joseph last Spring have been raving about the fantastic quality and value of this lovely wine. Exuberant aromas and lush, complex fruit are here combined with the bright acidity and good structure of this wonderful vintage in the Northern Rhône. The last twenty cases available have just arrived along with the delicious 2010 Condrieu, the 2011 Vin de Pays Viognier and the last of the 2010 Vin de Pays Marsanne. Alexis Barou converted the estate to organic agriculture back in 1975 as he didn't find as much flavor in his cherries once they had been sprayed. His son Emmanuel, with wife Agnes, currently have about 3 hectares in Saint-Joseph, 1 hectare in Condrieu and 6 hectares of Vin de Pays in Charnas from which they produce elegant, unforced traditional wines. Their farming is exemplary, using their own compost, keeping the soil covered, plowing as little as possible and avoidng even the organic treatments against mildew, as they can harm soil fauna. The Saint-Joseph parcels are in Limony, on de-composed granite, and Charnas, on stone covered firm granite. The Condrieu vineyard is on a steep south-facing granite slope with clay soil. Emmanuel is very proud of his Vin de Pays site, which is granite with very shallow topsoil, isolated from other vineyards. "This is a name to watch" says Livingstone-Learmonth in Wines of the Northern Rhône, "the domaine is emerging as a sound address for carefully made, natural wines."  Please disregard how low the prices are - these are lovely wines that deserve your attention!