Three neighboring villages comprise the historic core that produces the greatest of all Saint-Joseph: St. Jean de Muzols, Tournon, and Mauves. Vineyards in these towns not only sit almost directly across the Rhône from Hermitage—a few miles as the crow flies—they share many physical traits with the vineyards of Hermitage, including elevation, steep pitch, and granitic soil.
Within St. Jean de Muzols, home of retired Saint-Joseph legend Raymond Trollat, the steep terraces of the
lieu-dit “Sainte-Épine” dominates the landscape. And, despite being a relative newcomer, young Sylvain Gauthier, who we had the pleasure of meeting on our last trip, managed to get a stand of 80+-year-old vines on this hallowed ground—the source of today’s powerful and nuanced Saint-Joseph. The steep slopes of Sainte-Épine are where Trollat once farmed, among many other big Rhône names (Gonon; Delas Frères)—which for Gauthier, who founded his domaine in 2007, is a lot to live up to. It’s no small thing to put this vineyard designation on your label, but Gauthier has proved up to the challenge, as this 2016 vividly demonstrates. It’s got more concentration and polish than many Hermitage wines I’ve tried, as well as the mineral, meaty savor of top Cornas. In short, it is serious Northern Rhône Syrah, right up there with the very best. Gauthier named his domaine Pierres Séches (dry stones) after the old stone terraces that string across vineyards like Sainte-Épine, and when you taste this mind-blowing expression of Syrah it indeed tastes like something wrung from rock. It’s new-generation Rhône red with an old-school soul, sourced from one of the greatest sites for Syrah on earth. Don’t miss it!
Having tasted this wine with Gauthier in France last March, we’ve been anxiously awaiting its arrival stateside: Sylvain’s little piece of Sainte-Épine is just below what used to be Trollat’s, and the wine is a crash course in Syrah’s varietal character: there’s lots of violet, ripe blue fruits and roasted meat notes on the nose and palate. The cool, windy Sainte-Épine sits at about 600 meters’ elevation in soils of schist and gneiss over granite bedrock, with a south/southeast orientation that allows for ample sun exposure. This 2016 does not lack for ripeness and concentration, but it also shows lots of nerve. I wouldn’t hesitate to put it in a lineup with Saint-Josephs from the likes of Gonon and Chave, and that’s not something I say lightly.
And as I look back over our 2018 offers, it occurs to me that Beaujolais is not the only hot spot for young winemaking talent in France—Saint-Joseph has its share of up-and-comers, too, given the relatively reasonable real estate costs in relation to appellations like Hermitage or Cornas. As many Rhône wine lovers know, the Saint-Joseph appellation was expanded dramatically during the 1960s, from its original 250 acres to more than 30,000, and yet Gauthier still managed to obtain heritage vines in arguably the greatest vineyard site in one of Saint-Joseph’s original three villages. Originally from Lorraine, in Alsace, where his family had vineyards, Sylvain studied winemaking in Beaune, in Burgundy, and worked under Rhône Valley eminences Michel Chapoutier and Stéphane Robert before striking out on his own. It was clear to us when we tasted with him that he’s poised to hit the big time.
The 2016 “Sainte-Épine” was crafted using partially de-stemmed fruit (50%, meaning a healthy percentage of whole clusters) fermented in stainless steel tanks on ambient yeasts. It was aged only in used French oak barrels and bottled with minimal sulfur, resulting in a Syrah of clarity and purity. In the glass, it’s a deep ruby-black with purple reflections, with lots of saturated fruit aromas jumping out first: crushed black raspberry, blueberry, purple plums, and goji berry meet up with a savory wave of minerals, herbs, baking spices, pepper, cured meat, black olives, and crushed black stones. It is medium-plus in body, with a good amount of extract softening the bite of the tannins, but between its grip and its freshness, there’s plenty of structure for aging. It should go 10-15 years with ease, while also providing delicious drinking now if given ample air beforehand: Decant it a good hour before service at 60-65 degrees in Bordeaux stems and pair it with something wintry and rich. Try the attached recipe for lamb and lentil stew—it feels very Rhône-y and right. Cheers!
