JEAN-BAPTISTE SOUILLARD ST JOSEPH 'LE CHANAVAT' 2023

In 2014, after stints at Château Latour and Comte Armand, Jean-Baptiste Souillard set up a micro-négociant operation in his family's 1900 farmhouse in Andance. Le Chanavat draws Syrah from vines planted in 1989–1990 in Saint-Étienne-de-Valoux, grown on southeast-facing terraced slopes of decomposed granite over brittle bedrock — a setup that ripens fruit early and drives mineral tension through the wine. Aged 18–20 months in used barrels with 40–60% whole clusters, it delivers cured meat, dried rose, black pepper, and a firm, food-driven structure that rewards decanting.