SOUILLARD CORNAS SAINT-PIERRE 2018

Jean-Baptiste Souillard is a dedicated winemaker in the Northern Rhône. Unlike trendy styles, he focuses on vins de garde, wines built to age and develop complexity. Souillard s meticulous approach results in singular expressions of Syrah that capture the essence of the land. Saint-Pierre is a vineyard located in the Cornas appellation of the Rhône Valley. The vineyard is planted on a south-facing slope with deep gravelly-sandy soils on granite bedrock. The high elevation of the vineyard makes it a cool site that is harvested later than most other vineyards in Cornas. The vines are Syrah and were planted in the early 1970s and 2000s. The viticulture is lutte raisonnée, and the vinification involves indigenous yeast fermentation, pump-overs, and aging for 20 months in older oak barrels. The soils are poor and rocky, and do not retain water easily.