Our tasting impressions
How does this wine always manage to evoke from us a sigh and a smile? It's just so damn good every vintage. In a year like 2019, it finds another gear and added dimension. It seems noticeably brighter than 2018, which is always welcome in a white from the Southern Rhône. Another pour? Please!
About this wine
Saint Joseph is gaining in popularity and respect as a result of a new generation of winemakers with incredible commitment to elevating the quality of the wines from this appellation.
90% Marsanne and 10% Roussanne from a 2-hectare site with granite soil, mid to top of slope. The vines, planted up to 50 years ago, yield 45 hl/ha. The grapes are handpicked and whole clusters are crushed with a pneumatic press. Cold fermentation (and malolactic) is spontaneous in barrels for 1-4 years. A tangential filter is used and the wine spends 1 year in up to three-year old oak barrels.
About the grape blend
Marsanne and Roussanne are frequently blended in the Northern Rhône. Marsanne contributes body, richness, sweetness, fatness and an oily texture but very little acidity. Roussanne provides tension, finesse and deep aromatics.
About the vintage
2019 was yet another hot and dry growing season, albeit not excessively so. Rain in late August and early September was just what the winemaker ordered. Most of the region experienced good quantities of very healthy and ripe grapes. Corentin considers it a great vintage for whites and reds alike. He says the wines are more structured than 2018 and better for cellaring.
Suggested Glassware: Grassl Liberté
The Pichon family is a growing force in the Northern Rhône region. Corentin, the eldest of the six children of Isabelle and Christophe, is a young, talented, 3rd generation winemaker. But this is every bit the family business as all of his 5 siblings are involved, along with Corentin's partner and mom and dad.
Based in Chavanay, the Pichons produce wines of elegance and finesse in a variety of appellations spanning more than 20 hectares. Chemical treatment of the mostly Syrah and Viognier vineyards is kept to a bare minimum. In addition to those from their own vines, they also purchase grapes for other wines.
VDLT has been visiting the Pichons for many years and is proud to include them as a foundation of the portfolio.
