Saint-Joseph Ro-Rée Louis Cheze (Domaine) 1997

Lot presentation

Saint-Joseph Ro-Rée Louis Cheze (Domaine) 1997

The wine

Ro-Rée. Not your average name! In the local Ardèche dialect, it means "sessile oak", and gave its name to the parcel from which the Syrah which composes this wine originates. It is cultivated sustainably in granitic soils with loess, and its yields are restricted to 30-35 hl/ha. After two successive sorting operations, the grapes are crushed, and maceration and fermentation are carried out in thermoregulated vats. Malolactic fermentation, by contrast, takes place in barrels. The wine is then matured for one year in barrels used between one and three times before, in order to preserve its fruitiness. The wine is bottled without prior filtration. This wine's indulgent character is apparent at a first glance: its cherry-red colour makes you want to plunge your nose into the glass, which exudes aromas of red and black berries and nutmeg. The attack is direct; the tannins are mellow, and coated with notes of ripe fruit. This is a wine to be enjoyed in its youth.

Louis Chèze started his venture in 1978 with one hectare of vines in the Saint-Joseph appellation, on a hillside on the right bank of the Rhône in the commune of Limony. Since then, the domain has grown to 30 hectares, and owns vineyards in Saint-Joseph, Condrieu and more recently, on the other side of the Rhône on the hillsides of Seyssuel, opposite the Côte-Rôtie. Like François Villard, Yves Cuilleron and Pierre Galliard, Louis Chèze now cultivates vines on the remains of the ancient Roman vineyards there. The domain has a modern winery so the vinification process is as fine-tuned as it can be. Every cuvée is the outcome of a meticulous single parcel selection that allows the terroir and grapes to express themselves fully. As the wines are produced on a granite terrain they are very fresh, stylish and full of character. This Rhône Valley domain is growing in reputation.