Jean-Baptiste Souillard Saint-Joseph 2021

Jean-Baptiste Souillard Saint-Joseph is the only blended cuvée in a range that otherwise bottles Saint-Joseph site by site.

Saint-Joseph stretches some fifty kilometres along the right bank of the northern Rhône, and Souillard works parcels across its full length, from Saint-Pierre-de-Boeuf in the north to Saint-Jean-de-Muzols in the south. Four of his Saint-Josephs are single sites; this one draws on three vineyards in Sarras and Andance, in the middle of the appellation, from vines he estimates at around thirty years old. All three plots lie high on the slope at roughly 300 metres, face east, and sit on about forty centimetres of decomposed granite over granite bedrock, which gives a cooler fruit profile and a more chiselled mouthfeel than Saint-Joseph usually offers. Winemaking is the same across the range: spontaneous fermentation and maceration in stainless steel, here with a large proportion of whole bunches, then maturation in old wood. The result reads as a scaled-down Hermitage.

Drinking now but rewarding three to five years, and good for twelve. Serve at 16-18°C with roast lamb shoulder, grilled sausages or a mushroom tart.

*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.