Saint-Péray Version Longue François Villard 2018

Lot presentation

Saint-Péray Version Longue François Villard 2018

The wine

The Saint-Péray area is located in Ardèche on the right bank of the Rhône between Cornas to the north and the agglomeration of Valence to the east. Most of the vineyard (around 75 hectares planted with Roussanne and Marsanne) is concentrated in the Mialant Valley dominated by the château de Crussol. To the south of the appellation, the clay-limestone soil lends the wine tension and notes of steel, while to the north mixes of clay, pebbles and alluviums give the wines a rounder feel and smoother textures.

Less fleshy than their Saint-Joseph or Hermitage neighbours, Saint-Pérays are refined, fresh wines that are always elegant with spectacular energy and rounded volume on the palate. They develop notes of steel, eucalyptus blossoms and sometimes honeyed notes, often with a slight bitterness in their finish which adds to their persistence and freshness. A little under two thirds of the production is vinified as effervescent, based exclusively on Marsanne (known locally as Roussette).