Saint-Joseph
Controlled appellation
Les Côtes
"The Domain Alain Voge has produced Saint-Joseph wines for ten years or so. From the 2015 vintage, our Saint-Joseph takes the name of the locality where it is grown: Les Côtes. This terroir has enormous potential and it is gradually revealing its expression as the vines mature. The average age of the vines in 2017 is 12 years old."
The entire domain is cultivated using organic and biodynamic viticulture.
TERROIR
A very steep granite slope facing South in the “showcase slopes” of Mauves, to the South of the Saint-Joseph appellation.
2021 VINTAGE
An opposite vintage…The historical frost on April 8th hit our vineyard in Saint-Péray and the bottom of Cornas, after a too hot episode in February.50 % in Saint-Péray were finally lost, and only 2 wines were produced: Harmonie and Fleur de Crussol, showing a very beautiful quality, coming from the freshness of the season.In Cornas, the yields of the slops have almost compensated the missing frozen harvest. The very rainy (896 mm/m²) and late season (harvest from September 13th to October 2nd) offer an “old-school” vintage, fresh, delicate and smooth, with lower level of alcohol, but less time lag between alcoholic and phenolic ripeness than in the hot and dry vintages.
OUR VINE GROWING AND WINEMAKING
• Organic certification for the vines and wine from the 2016 vintage, and biodynamic methods used.
• Syrah replanted from 1999; vines trained and pruned in the Gobelet style and supported by stakes.
• Hand-picked harvests.
• Majority of the harvest de-stemmed, 10 to 20% whole grape bunches, depending on the vintage.
• Fermentation with natural yeasts and maceration for several weeks in stainless steel vats, with cap-punching and pumping-over done twice a day.
• Maturation in 400-litre barrels for 16 months, with no new barrels.
• Amount of sulphite reduced: 86 mg/l total SO2 (100 mg/litre authorised in organic winemaking).
• Production: 4.447 bottles
• Ageing potential: 10 years.
THE ATMOSPHERE…
The dish:
Duckling in a pastry crust, with apples, chestnuts and Ardèche honey
“The exquisite butteriness and crispness of the flaky pastry with the chestnuts blends perfectly with the acidulousness of the apples. Exactly the same sensations are found in the wine, with a very delicious blackcurrant fruitiness enhanced by the overall liveliness of Saint-Joseph.”
The chef:
Guillaume Besson, “Le Jeu de Quilles” wine cellar eatery, Lyon 1er.
… COMMENTS
2021 Vintage: "A beguiling nose of rose, pine resin and incense, very unusual.Crisp and red- fruited on the palate, with surging raspberry acidity. Reminiscent of a blonde-side Côte-Rôtie. Then it’s quite light in fruit and tannin on the palate. The oak is quite forthright.An unusual, interesting wine. From a parcel near Mauves, a steep granite slope. No new oak.”
Matt Walls – Decanter (01/10/2022): 93/100
