Jean-Luc Colombo, Saint-Joseph (Rhône Valley, France) 2012

The 2012 vintage in both the northern and southern Rhône produced quite ripe, soft-textured wines.  In the north, this often works to the advantage of particular wines, whereas many 2012s from the south are — to my taste — lacking in structure and grip.  This Saint-Joseph manages to show plenty of structural definition thanks to fresh acidity and fine-grained tannin.  It can nevertheless be enjoyed early on, as the wood component is quite modest, whereas the fruit is admirably fresh and open.  Red and black berry flavor notes predominate, with a little whiff of blueberry for good measure.