Domaine Bernard Gripa, Saint-Joseph 2020 - 75cl
Bernard Gripa is one of the reference names of Saint-Joseph, farming on the steep granite slopes around Mauves and Tournon in the northern Rhône. This is the domaine's straight Saint-Joseph rouge — 100% Syrah, and a lovely way into the appellation without stepping up to the single-vineyard Le Berceau.
Saint-Joseph runs along the right bank of the Rhône, and its granite soils give Syrah a different accent from the richer wines further south: more lift, more pepper, more tension. The 2020 vintage here was warm but retained good freshness, and Gripa's winemaking is classic — the wine spends around a year in French oak, mostly older barrels, which builds structure without layering on obvious toast.
The nose leads with just-ripe blackberry and cherry, then the spice arrives: cracked black pepper, a curl of smoke, a savoury olive-and-violet note that turns floral as it opens. The palate is juicy and medium-bodied, the fruit carried by fresh acidity and fine tannins, with a mineral edge that comes straight off the granite. It finishes clean and peppery rather than heavy.
A proper weeknight northern Rhône — the kind of bottle that makes a simple supper feel considered, and one that shows why Syrah from this stretch of the river has such a following.
How to Serve
Serve at 16-17°C in a medium red glass. A young Syrah like this opens nicely with half an hour of air; a short decant will coax out the florals and soften the pepper.
Where to Drink It
Brat in Shoreditch, where wood-fired cooking meets a peppery Syrah beautifully. Bentley's for grilled meats off the coals. The Dandy on Maltby Street for a relaxed, wine-led evening.
Food Pairings
Lamb chops with rosemary, or a peppered steak. The wine's freshness and grip also handle a sausage-and-lentil dish with ease.
