Saint-Joseph

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Accessory grape varieties

Terroir

• The geographical area stretches for around 60 kilometres along a north-south axis overlooking the Rhône, on the river's right bank, between Condrieu in the north and Saint-Péray in the south.
• The appellation area is delimited across 23 communes in the Ardèche department and 3 communes in the Loire department.
• The favoured vineyard sites face south/south-east and are nestled on the eastern edge of the Massif Central, the geological substratum being mainly of primary age with a few pockets of secondary age at Châteaubourg and Guilherand-Granges.
• The soils have developed mainly as granitic sands and sandy-clay soils, with some soils derived from metamorphic rocks such as gneiss and mica-schist, and very locally calcareous scree soils.
• The local climate, described as "Lyonnais", is continental while also benefiting from the last Mediterranean influences carried up the Rhône valley, with a cold, dry north wind called the "Bise" that dries the foliage and limits fungal diseases.

• In the 1980s, producers worked with the Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité to revise the delimited plot area in order to restore the historic hillsides, reducing the surface area from 6,800 to 3,400 hectares.
• The Syrah variety is mainly planted on plots with soils derived from eruptive or metamorphic rocks, warm and often friable, requiring the building of low walls locally called "Cheys".
• The appellation d'origine contrôlée was recognized in 1956 for wines produced in 6 communes around Tournon.

• The red wines, which accounted for 90% of production in 2010, are made mainly from the single grape variety Syrah, also called "Sérine".
• The reds show a pronounced aromatic character marked by fruity, spicy notes, liquorice or undergrowth, with a focus on velvety tannins on the palate.
• For wines from plots with calcareous soils, the tannic structures are more rustic and soften more slowly, depending on variations in soil and mesoclimate.
• The white wines, more marginal at 10% of production, are made mainly from the Marsanne grape variety, which accounts for 95% of the white vine plantings and is grown mostly on soils marked by the presence of limestone.
• These are very aromatic dry white wines with notes of melliferous white flowers, showing on the palate an original balance highlighted by richness.

• The Mediterranean influences on the well-exposed slopes, combined with the warm, well-drained soils of terraced sands or scree, help preserve the harvest potential through shared know-how.
• The white wines from carbonate soils on ideally exposed plots draw a particular balance in which richness dominates over freshness and supports a floral, honeyed aromatic bouquet.

Facts drawn from the specification's terroir-link section by automatic interpretation — see the source.

All appellations in France

Sources

• Product specification (BO Agri, PDF) — approved 4 juillet 2024, JORF 7 juillet 2024
• Official INAO text (show_texte)
• INAO product entry
• Official trade body site — Inter Rhône