TheSaint-Joseph Les Côtes is relatively new to Alain Voge's portfolio. An excellent vineyard site in the south of the AOP Saint-Joseph was acquired and it was completely replanted with the best-suited Syrah clone and the latest findings. It is grown using biodynamic methods. This wonderfully steep site has the potential to be one of the great wines in Saint-Joseph.
The majority of the harvest is destemmed; depending on the vintage, 10-20% are pressed as whole bunches, i.e. with the stems, in order to get additional structure into the wine. The aging of Alain Voge's Saint-Joseph Les Côtes takes sixteen months and takes place in used barriques.
2018 was a vintage with an early harvest that produced charming wines with lots of fruit and opulence, but also mineral substance. The ripe tannins are in the background, but present in a completely sufficient form. The wine has an enchanting and crystal-clear style, elegance and freshness, coupled with the fullness of the vintage. It's a lot of fun early on, but it will also age well in the bottle for at least 10 years, probably significantly longer.
Jeb Dunnuck gives it 90-92/100 and writes: "This estate makes a terrific Saint-Joseph". There were just 3,162 bottles of the 2018 Les Côtes 2018 vintage. A real rarity.
