2007 Pierre Gonon Saint-Joseph 13.0%
According to the Chambers Street write-up, Gonon is included by John Livingstone-Learmonth, "the foremost writer on the Northern Rhone," in his STGT group - Soil to Glass Transfer, "along with Clape, Chave, Balthazar, Barge and a few others." Uncorked ninety minutes before dinner, the bottleneck was so mute that it immediately joined the STDG group - Soil to Decanter Transfer. At show time the genie was still fast asleep, but into the glass it went, venting its annoyance in the form of tar and rubber exhalations, shouting down the timid supporting cast of cherry and cloves. Luckily the mouth brought compensatory pleasures: fine acidity, good weight, and good acid/sweet balance. The tannins, however, are a bit too light. Where's the grip? Where are your gonads, Gonon? With cheese, a strange chemical note appears, like naphtalene or Baygon, but disappears after ten minutes, right before this was about to join the Soil to Sink Transfer group. Not one to harbor a grudge, we let Baygons be bygones and enjoy the rest of the bottle because it begins to hit it stride, bringing more cherry fruit to the fore and a late note of leafy eucalyptus. All in all, a curious experience, showing how past virtues - lack of wood or supermaturity - are no guarantee of future performance. Unless, of course, the future comes later.
