2016 Aurelien Chatagnier "La Sybarite" Saint Joseph (750ml)

Started off closed but still pretty with light olive notes, some violets, maybe some fig in the far background. After a while it opened up with tart (if slightly subdued) blackberry, and the fruit only blossomed from then on, along with mild asphalt-y minerals, not hyper-pronounced but definitely there. Lots of acid and a blanket of grippy tannin.

By day two it was a tale of two wines; day one was old-world through and through with savory tones, minerals and high acid complimenting the fruit, but day two saw the sweet fruit intensity double, even with some heat showing up, while the acid and minerals took a backseat- it reminded me of a new world syrah, even something close to a relatively ripe, rich styled one from California, and would not have been easy to peg as Rhone Valley at all.

Definitely too young and harsh, will need a while, as the tannin was getting in the way a bit and the fruit still felt like it had a ways to go, but what a syrah this'll be in a few years.