Jean-Baptiste Souillard Syrah 2023

Jean-Baptiste Souillard Syrah is the approachable bottling of the range, grown on clay and sand in the Drôme with a third of the blend declassified Saint-Joseph.

The bulk of the wine comes from two small parcels totalling 0.2 hectares at Chavannes, due west of Crozes-Hermitage, one planted in the 1980s and the other in the 1990s, on clay over sand rather than the granite that underpins Souillard’s appellation wines. Since 2022 the blend has also carried around a third declassified Saint-Joseph from mature vines at Andance, which lifts the structure. The wine is fermented with wild yeasts, takes in a portion of whole clusters and gentle pump-overs, and is aged twelve to fifteen months in older oak barrels so the wood stays out of the way. It comes out bright, spicy and perfumed, with crushed red and black fruit, textured tannins and a fine, refreshing finish, and it gives a clear preview of what the wines further up the range are doing.

Drinking now and good for four or five years. Serve at 16-18°C with a medium-rare rib eye, merguez sausages or grilled field mushrooms.

*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.