Just about every major wine reviewer out there has nothing but praise for Jérôme Coursodon and his incredible Syrahs from France’s esteemed Northern Rhône region, especially his prices compared to his peers.
Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, for example:
“Arriving in the village of Mauves from the south, one first passes Domaine Pierre Gonon, then Jean-Louis Chave and finally Coursodon, all within a few hundred yards of each other. It’s a stellar trio of vignerons to be sure, with Jerome Coursodon not at the same level of stardom as the others, but he’s not too far behind, either. For consumers, it’s a good opportunity to purchase some top-flight Saint-Josephs before price escalation sets in.”
Jeb Dunnuck agrees:
“I’ve raved about the quality coming from this estate in the past, and the young Jerome Coursodon continues to deliver the goods in every vintage. All of his wines come from steep, east, and south-facing, granite soils located outside the village of Mauves, in the southern part of the Saint Joseph appellation.”
As does the team at Vinous:
“This 16-hectare domaine, whose holdings are centered in the highly desired granitic soils of Mauves, has a fiercely loyal European clientele that always snatches up their user-friendly but stealthily age-worthy wines as soon as they are offered, meaning that the Coursodons are often sold out of everything just a couple of months after release. These wines deserve to be better known.”
At Mission, we’re suckers for the Syrahs of the Northern Rhône with their meatiness and subtle smoke, their violets and their dark-fruited elegance. We’re also used to paying $100 or more for that experience.
Which is why paying $49.99 for an outstanding specimen of Northern Rhône’s true character is such a big deal (hence, why we’re sending you this email.
Jerome’s grandfather Gustav was one of the leaders who organized the St. Joseph appellation in the 1950’s. Domaine Coursodon has been at the forefront of the region’s qualitative standardization since its inception, yet its wines are still not as well known as its neighbors. That’s a good thing for your cellar and your wallet.
2020 Domaine Coursodon L’Olivaie St. Joseph $49.99
95 POINTS: VINOUS - The style of Saint-Josephs at Domaine Coursodon ranges widely across bottlings, from the vibrant, up-front and fruit-driven Silice to the often lavishly oaked and age-worthy La Sensonne. Relative to his peers, Jérome Coursodon bottles on the early side because he thinks it preserves freshness and helps ensure the wines’ age-worthiness. I can vouch that bottles with ten to fifteen years of age on them drink exceedingly well, so it's hard to fault his logic and practices. Inky magenta. Heady aromas of fresh black and blue fruits, incense, exotic spices, violet and olive paste. Densely packed and energetic on the palate, offering intense dark berry preserve, cherry-cola, floral pastille and salty olive flavors, plus a hint of minerality and building spiciness. Finishes subtly chewy, focused and impressively long, with well-knit tannins adding grip to echoing dark fruit and floral notes.