Domaine Monier Perréol · Saint Joseph Tradition 2022 AOC

Domaine Monier Perréol AOC is a small biodynamic estate in Saint-Désirat in the France's Northern Rhône's Saint Joseph appellation.

Grape: 100% Syrah

Alc 12.5%

Tastings: Visually, a deep ruby to garnet red - characteristic of Northern Rhône Syrah; Aromas, beautiful expressions of Syrah supported by delicate oak revealing roasted notes like mocha, black pepper spice, black fruits including blackberries and blackcurrants, accompanied by elegant aromatic herbs like eucalyptuspalate; on the palate, the wine is balanced and expansive, the mouth remains airy on this fresh vintage,  almost suspended, with astonishing length supported by fine minerality from the high-quality terroir.

Grown on soils of granite and loess, limestone, imparting fine minerality to the wines of the estate's Châtelet(meaning the prized location/terroir of the vineyard and it is their flagship parcel.)

Winery background and approach:

The Estate moto is "Le Vin, Sang de la Terre" literally translating to "Wine, Blood of the Earth" - is a poetic French expression that connects wine to the earth in an almost sacred way. It's used philosophically in biodynamic and natural wine circles to express the idea that wine is the vital essence extracted from the living soil and this is reflected in this wine.

Guillaume Monier is the fourth generation of his family to farm in Brunieux, a lieu-dit in the hills above the village of St-Désirat in the north of Saint Joseph, where they have 5ha of Syrah, Marsanne and Roussanne on gentle, higher altitude slopes. His father Jean-Pierre used to sell his grapes to the local co-op, but in 2001 he decided the quality of the fruit merited being bottled under their own label. Jean-Pierre was greatly influenced by the teaching and research of the German biodynamic guru, Maria Thun, and their vineyards have been certified since 2006. In 2008 Jean-Pierre started to work with like-minded vigneron Philippe Perréol to combine their resources for some wines. Winemaking across the range is hands-off: fermentation is in concrete or stainless steel, using natural yeasts; ageing is in neutral oak apart from their single vineyard Terre Blanche which sees some new oak.

The estate experiments extensively with techniques including electroculture(an alternative agricultural technique that uses electrical currents, electromagnetic fields, or atmospheric electricity to stimulate plant growth and vitality), plants cover crops with aromatic herbs, and is moving toward agroforestry to create a more diversified ecosystem. Grapes are 100% destemmed, ferment in temperature-controlled cement tanks with daily pumpovers and punchdowns, then age for one year in tonneaux