Jean-Louis Chave is the 16th consecutive generation of his family to farm Syrah in France’s northern Rhône Valley. He is a quiet and understated man who, unlike many of his peers, prefers to spend his time in the vineyard, rather than jet setting around to rub elbows with critics and wealthy collectors. The Chave estate’s reputation is built entirely on centuries of manual labor and legendary wine. There are no vanity projects on the side, and little if any effort is paid to marketing, PR, or building “hype” around the wines—a google search reveals that the estate doesn’t even have a website! But it is obvious when drinking Jean-Louis’ wines that he has devoted all resources to what matters most—his terroir.

The family’s involvement in viticulture originated in the present day Saint-Joseph appellation before proceeding north to the hill of Hermitage. Despite the prestige and stratospheric prices of the Jean-Louis’ Hermitage reds, the family cellar remains across the river in Saint-Joseph. A visit to the estate often leaves one with the impression that this appellation may be Jean-Louis’ true passion. Saint-Joseph is a dramatically steep and rocky AOC that towers above the villages of Mauves and Tournon-sur-Rhône. There is not “soil” here so much as a near vertical 1,000-foot high wall of granite terraces. Jean-Louis works daily with a small army of workers to continually rebuild and strengthen the stone terraces as they continuously erode down the steep mountainside. His work in the cellar mimics his straightforward personal manner; there is no complicated technique or space-aged wine making equipment. Harvesting is all done by hand and juice is simply pressed into stainless steel fermenters before extended aging in a variety of young and older french oak barrels. That’s it. And as with many of my favorite estates in Europe, the majority of work that goes into each bottle of Chave occurs in vines, and the single intent of each cuvée is to express it’s terroir or origin; not to follow trends or appeal to a given audience. If nothing else, Jean-Louis’ wines are about one thing—purity.

In the glass, the 2011 JL Chave Saint-Joseph “Offerus” is incredibly concentrated with a deep purple core that extends to the rim. On the palate, it is everything I seek in Saint-Joseph—pure granite minerality, dark and tart plummy fruit with everything tied together in a densely layered structure. The wine’s tannins are chewy, and slightly ornery—proof that the wine will easily evolve in the cellar for another decade. As with all great expressions of Syrah in the northern Rhône valley, the take home message here is aromas: black fruit, smoked meat, violets, turkish coffee, kalamata olives and of course, the wild herbs that blanket the hillsides around Saint-Joseph. This is a soulful wine that is impossible to separate from its place of origin. I recommend decanting this wine for 1 hour and serving in a large Burgundy stem. The wine is just entering its prime and will shine brightly if served alongside a simple and rustic Pot-au-Feu. As one final note, I want to stress that all Chave reds are built for extended aging, and this wine is no exception. For a relatively modest price, it is an ideal addition to the “do not touch” corner of your cellar. I drink older vintages of this cuvée whenever I see them on restaurant lists and I have never once been disappointed.