Domaine Louis Cheze

Saint Joseph / Condrieu - Rhône Valley

Domaine Louis Chèze "Caroline" Cuvée Prestige - Saint Joseph
A premium wine created in 1987, made with Syrah from a selected parcel of 3.50 ha located at the lieu-dit "Montrond" in Limony. The vines, averaging 35 to 40 years of age produce a low yield of 30 to 35 hl/ha and are planted with a southern exposure at an altitude of 300 metres. The soil is granitic with muscovite elements. The harvest is handpicked, sorted a second time on a table at the cellar and destemmed. The fermentations in stainless steel vats with indigenous yeasts will last 30 to 35 days at about 29°C. The wine is then aged in oak barrels for 12 months with 20% of new oak and 80% of barrels that are 1 and 2 years old. The wine is bottled without filtration.

PVins notes: Garnet in colour, the nose shows an aromatic complexity of violets and spicy characters. Powerful but with elegant tannins, medium-bodied, well structured and balanced with a long finish. The wine may be cellared over a decade, especially in classic vintages. Decanting is recommended when young.


Domaine Louis Chèze Pagus Luminis” - Condrieu
The cuvée was created in 1993, made with Viognier from a selected parcel of 3 ha located on the slopes of the lieu-dit "Montrond" in Limony. The vines, averaging 22 years of age produce a low yield of 25 to 32 hl/ha and are planted with a southern exposure at an altitude of 270 metres. The soil has a granitic and migmatic composition. The harvest is handpicked, sorted a second time on a table at the cellar and whole bunch pressed. The fermentations are done in oak barrels that are 2 to 3 years, lasting about 2 weeks at 21°C. The wine is aged on fine lees using the same barrels for 8 to 10 months depending on the vintage, stirring of the lees is also done during the ageing process. The wine is bottled without filtration.

PVins notes: Yellow-gold in colour, expressive nose of white flowers, tropical fruits and peach aromas. Medium to full-bodied, its richness is well-balanced by the terroir’s minerality coming through on the long finish. The oak is well integrated, never dominating the wine letting the Viognier and terroir express themselves. The wine may be cellared for 5 to 8 years depending on the vintage.

Domaine Chèze was created by Louis Chèze in 1978. The estate is situated in the commune of Limony on top of a hill at 330 metres in altitude at the lieu dit “Pangon”. The commune Limony is located in the northern part of the Saint Joseph appellation about 60 kms south of city Lyon. Louis Chèze started the venture with 1 ha of Saint Joseph plus some vines on lease. He taught himself winemaking from scratch also learning and receiving advice from friendly neighbours such as George Vernay in Condrieu and Jean-Luc Colombo in Cornas. A new two level cellar was build to increase the storage for 700 barrels, facilitate the bottling process and also to enable a winemaking process by gravity to exclude the use of pumps. Today, the Domaine represents 30 ha in both appellations Condrieu and Saint Joseph including some IGP Vins de Pays wines.

www.domainecheze.com

The Domaine is located on the right bank of the Rhône river in the northern area of Saint Joseph. Louis Chèze has a plot by plot approach, adapting his work to each parcel’s specificity to bring out their full potential. The Saint Joseph appellation wines represent 15 ha. The Syrah is planted on granite with muscovite and dark migmatite elements depending on the parcel. The red vines, of which some are 50+ years old, are planted facing south south-east. The white Saint Joseph vines (4 ha) are planted with Marsanne (60%) on the plateau and Roussanne (40%) on the slopes. Here the soil has a granitic and leucocratic migmatic composition.

Here in the commune of Limony, the most southern area of Condrieu mingles with Saint Joseph. The Domaine's Condrieu represents 4.50 ha of Viognier. The vines averaging 20 years old are planted on the slopes of the most southern plateau of the appellation. The 3 ha parcel of the lieux-dits "Montrond" are planted with a southerly exposure at an altitude of 240 metres, while further down the steep slope the "Brèze" parcel representing 1.50 ha is at an altitude of 180 metres, here the vines are facing south south-east. The soil composition is granitic and leucocratic migmatic at the top and old granite with alluvial deposits at the "Brèze".

The harvest is handpicked with a first selection done in the vineyards, then a second selection of the bunches on a roller table at the cellar and finally after the de-stemming of the red grapes a third selection of berries is done using a vibrating table. The vats are filled by gravity eliminating any pumping action. Only indigenous yeast are used for the fermentations. They are carried out in stainless steel vats for the reds and oak barrels for the whites. The Saint Joseph (Syrah) and Condrieu (Viognier) are aged in oak barrels, the amount of new and old oak barrels and the length of the ageing process will depend on the wine and the quality of vintage, different size barrels from standard to demi-muid are used. In general the reds are aged in oak barrels between 8 to 22 months and the whites 6 to 10 months. The Condrieu are aged on fine lees with “batonnage” (stirring of the lees) to bring a little extra richness and aromatic complexity to the wines. The red Saint Joseph are not filtered before bottling. 

Louis Chèze produces three red Saint Joseph from Syrah with a parcellaire approach. The first cuvée is "Ro-Rée", which is the main wine produced for early drinking. The "Caroline Cuvée Prestige" created in 1987 is a parcellaire selection (3.50 ha) from the lieu-dit Montrond. The vines are 35-40 years old planted on a soil composed of granite with muscovite elements. The wine is aged in oak barrels for 12 months with 20% of new oak. The premium cuvée "Ange" created in 1995, is another parcellaire wine (2 ha) produced from old vines that are at least 50 years old. Here the soil's composition is granite with dark migmatite elements. The old Syrah vines produce a low yield of 26-29 hl/ha and the wine is aged for 18 to 22 months in 100% new oak barrels. This is a complex and big wine made for cellaring.  

As for the white Saint Joseph "Ro-Rée" produced since 1990, it is a blend of 60% Marsanne and 40% Roussanne planted on a plateau and slopes representing 4 ha. The wine is barrel fermented and then aged for 8-10 months with 20% of new oak. The wine is aromatic and generous offering a mid-term cellaring potential.

Domaine Louis Chèze produces two Condrieu made with Viognier from two specific parcels based on their potential. The cuvée "Pagus Luminis", translating from Latin to French "Pays Lumineux" meaning lighten country, was created in 1993. A selected parcel of 3 hectares located on the slopes of the lieu-dit "Montrond" in Limony. The vines produce a low yield of 25 to 32 hl/ha planted at an altitude of 270 metres on a granitic and migmatic soil. The wine shows expressive floral, tropical fruits and peach aromas, there is some richness that is balanced by the terroir's freshness. As for the premium cuvée "Brèze" created in 1996, it is a small parcel of 1.50 ha. The viognier picked at full maturity produces a low yield of 25 hl/ha. The vines are planted facing south south-east on a steep slope at 180 metres in altitude, the soil is old granite and alluvial deposits from the Ice Age. Gold in colour, aromatic complexity with hints of honey, full-bodied, rich and fresh, long on the finish and offering a good ageing potential.

Links:  AOP Condrieu   -   AOP Saint Joseph   -   Northern Rhone map

CONDRIEU

The appellation Condrieu was created in 1940 and extended in 1967 covering the 7 communes of Condrieu, Vérin, Saint Michel, Chavanay, Saint Pierre de Boeuf, Malleval and Limony. The total surface of the appellation is 260 hectares. It is located in the northern Rhône on the right bank of the Rhône river just south of the Côte-Rôtie appellation. The only grape variety allowed by decree is Viognier and it has been cultivated in the area for over 2000 years. The appellation also includes the famous estate Château-Grillet built in the 17th century, which is also a Condrieu appellation of its own of 3.5 hectares, the smallest in France.

History
Condrieu was a Gallo-Roman village that became the property of the Diocese of Lyon in the 12th century. The wines have had a long reputation for excellence dating back to the Popes of Avignon. It underwent a turbulent period of phylloxera, World War One, the great depression and the process of industrialization that almost left the village abandoned. The Condrieu wine market, the region’s oldest, disappeared in the 1950s from the lack of winemakers, about 10 hectares remained out of the original 170. When the AOC was created in 1940 it covered the three communes of Condrieu, Vérin, and Saint Michel. In 1967 the appellation surface was modified to include the four neighbouring villages of Chavanay, Saint Pierre de Boeuf, Malleval and Limony which is also within the Saint Joseph appellation. In the 1980s a revival of the vineyards was underway, the abandoned hillsides were replanted and the terrace walls were rebuilt. In 1986, Condrieu winemakers made a final alteration to the appellation’s boundaries, one third of the surface area was removed to cover 260 hectares but only about 170 hectares are actually planted with the best exposure where the Viognier can mature at its very best.

Vineyard
The vineyards face south and south-east between 150 to 300 metres in altitude and are mostly planted on terraces or “chayées” and steep inclined slopes that lead up to the “Pélussin plateau”. The terroir is generally composed of granite and “arzelle”: a mixture of decomposed granite, mica, shale, clay and the Rhône’s sediments. The rocky soil has a crumbly appearance with cracks containing significant deposits of clay. These fissures are ideal places for the vines to take root and ensure a healthy growth with the moisture contained in the clay.

The Viognier varietal produces smooth, generous wines, fresh but highly aromatic with floral notes of violet or fruits such as mango and apricot, at its ageing peak it shows hints of musk, gingerbread and tobacco. While the wines of Condrieu are generally dry whites it is possible to find some dessert wines made from grapes affected by the botrytis (noble rot).

Climate
The climate is Continental similar to Lyon, with slight Mediterranean influences. Temperatures are however very high in summer due to the region’s exposure to the sun. The rocky soil stores heat during the day that is also released at the night which is very beneficial for the maturity of the Viognier.

SAINT JOSEPH

The appellation Saint-Joseph was created in June 1956, located in the northern Rhône on the right bank of the Rhône river. The original boundaries were based on six communes around the villages of Tournon and Mauve (opposite Tain l’Hermitage), covering 90 hectares.In 1994, the appellation was extended northwards to the village of Chavannay near Condrieu and southwards to Guilherand-Les-Granges near Cornas. The new boundaries cover 1,082 hectares in 26 communes stretching over 60 kilometres from north to south.

History
The name originates from a vineyard named “Saint Joseph” by the monks of the local monastery, but it is the Romans that developed the viticulture in the region after the Pheniciens. 

Vineyard
The vineyards for the most part occupy terraces on fairly steep slopes facing south south-east, a key factor for good natural drainage and exposure to the sun. Granite is the main component of the appellation’s soil, but other soil varieties are present and influence the style. The northern area is made of soft gneiss and granites on hillsides with sections at the foothills or in the plain producing softer and delicate wines. The southern area around Tournon and Mauve is made up of marl and thin acidic granite soil producing firmer wines that have a very good ageing potential.

The only red grape authorized is the Syrah and for the whites it is the Marsanne and Roussanne. White wines only represent about 10% of the appellation but the two white grapes may also be blended with the Syrah to a maximum of 10%.

Climate
As for the climate, in the northern area the vines are subjected to a semi-continental climate and grapes are picked later, while the southern zone is more temperate with a Mediterranean influence.