Domaine Pierre Gaillard Saint-Joseph Blanc 2020

Pierre Gaillard's Saint-Joseph Blanc is made entirely from Roussanne, a rarity in an appellation where the grape is almost always blended with Marsanne.

Saint-Joseph runs for some fifty kilometres along the right bank of the Rhône in the northern part of the valley, on granite slopes facing the river. Varietal Roussanne is unusual even here: Jean-Baptiste Souillard has estimated that only around ten producers in the region leave Marsanne out altogether. Gaillard was inspired to try it by an early tasting of Beaucastel's Vieilles Vignes Châteauneuf. The fruit is drawn from several low-yielding sites in the far north of the appellation, on the relatively cool granite plateau of Malleval at Les Dries, on its slopes at Chartres, and from Les Vessettes in Chavanay. The wine spent eight months in used Allier and Nevers barrels bought from growers in Chassagne and Pouilly-Fuissé, which builds texture without adding obvious oak. Gaillard's whites are always pitched at the weightier end of the northern Rhône spectrum, made squarely for the dinner table.

Drink now or over the next six or seven years. Serve with roast chicken, scallops or a soft washed-rind cheese at 10-12°C.

*Every effort is made to ensure the current vintage is accurate; however, variations can occur. If you are after a specific vintage, please contact us prior to ordering.