Bold raspberries and grilled plums are framed by notes of vanilla and baking spices in the 2017 Saint Joseph la Sensonne, an old-vine cuvée aged in 100% new oak. Full-bodied, creamy textured and supple on the palate, it finishes long, with lingering notes of salted licorice. It's already drinking deliciously, yet it should gain nuance over the next decade. Tasted twice (once blind), with consistent notes.

Aged in 100% new oak and selected from the estate's oldest vines, the 2016 Saint Joseph la Sensonne reveals cedar and vanilla shadings on the nose, plus attractive raspberry and cherry fruit. It's full-bodied and concentrated, with a rich, creamy mouthfeel followed by a long, slightly astringent (from wood tannins) finish. Give it a year or so to shake off the rough edges and drink it over the next decade or so.

A bit of cedar sticks out on the nose of the 2015 Saint Joseph la Sensonne, so give this a couple of years in the cellar to further integrate its 100% new oak treatment. This full-bodied, richly concentrated wine has the mixed berry and cherry fruit to handle it and the tannic structure to age a decade or more.

Similar aromas and flavors with slightly more noticeable new oak characterize the inky/purple-tinged 2010 St.-Joseph La Sensonne. While displaying terrific ripeness, it is a more backward effort that will benefit from 2-3 years of cellaring and should age well for 15+ years. The new oak component gives the wine more structure, vanillin and a more modern style than its siblings. The tall, competent Jerome Coursodon is the fifth generation of his family to exploit the hillside vineyards of St.-Joseph. They began producing wines in the 19th century, becoming well-known in French wine circles in the 1930s. The majority of their vineyard holdings are on the hillsides above the village of Mauves, where the well-known Chave family has been making wines since 1472. The Coursodons also own parcels situated further north, above Tournon and in the most northerly sector of the appellation, St.-Jean de Muzols. By the way, if you see any of the four 2009 cuvees on your retailer’s shelf, snap them up as they are magnificent wines. Those wines have serious rivals in both 2010 and 2011. Importer: A Patrick Lesec Selection, agent for the U.S. market, Chemin des Vins, Sherborn, MA; tel. (508) 545-1532