WTN: Thankful for when ageing finally pays off! Gonon St.J.

I guess we have all had bottles in our cellars which have stayed obstinately tight and unyielding for many years and some never come round. An example of the latter was a Château Pradeaux Bandol 1989 and I have had several which took 20+years to sing properly, for example Château Ducru-Beaucaillou 1970. Saint-Joseph is a relatively lowly appellation but Pierre Gonon has a stellar reputation as does the 2005 vintage in most of France, so the inexpressiveness of earlier bottles was disappointing. This one was singing beautifully at last.

2005 Pierre Gonon St. Joseph - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, St. Joseph (24/11/2024)
At last this wine is revealing its full potential as a very elegant N. Rhône on a par with some of the best from Côte Rôtie. The aromas on the nose are now fully open in a discreet vein and the medium bodied palate shows fine N.Rhone notes of griotte cherry mingled with a little grilled meat, olives and hints of metal with better balanced acidity than the previous bottle and a decently long finish impregnated with faint notes of kirsch. Well worth the wait but, alas, my last bottle. Excellent.
Posted from CellarTracker

BTW Pierre Gonon was a frequent presence at tastings in Belgium when I was living there. A very nice guy to meet.

[David M. Bueker]

Glad you finally got a great one.

Gonon has developed a cult-like following in the USA with prices for St. Joseph now around $150! The rarer VV bottling is now basically a unicorn.

Thanks for the note. I have the 2010 and don't want to try it too soon - sounds like I need to wait awhile.

I'm a big Gonon fan, but as David said US pricing has gone insane. I have a few bottles 2006-2012, but think hard before opening, as I won't be refilling!

Yes, what David and Dale said about US pricing. There are a few other producers in St J that make lovely wines indeed, but none that reach the heights of Gonon IMO. I'm holding onto my last bottle(s) for dear life.