Alluring, with black tea and singed alder hints curling around a core of gently steeped black cherry and blackberry flavors. The very silky and refined structure carries the fruit through a beguiling finish, while olive, sanguine, iron and savory hints peek in. This expands steadily with time in the glass, boding well for cellaring. (JM)

Opaque ruby. Powerful, mineral-tinged aromas of blackberry, boysenberry, candied flowers, olive and licorice, along with a smoky overtone that builds in the glass. Stains the palate with sweet, energetic black/blue fruit, violet pastille and spicecake flavors that show outstanding purity and mineral-drive. The spice and floral notes repeat emphatically on a strikingly long, lively finish that's shaped by velvety, even tannins. (JR)

I tasted several parcels that will go into the 2016 Saint Joseph, rating them all in this range. All were distinctive in their own ways, from the perfumed, floral notes and elegance of Les Challeys to the almost jammy cherry flavors of Les Oliviers and the dark-fruited precision of Le Clos. (JC)