AOC. Saint-Joseph (Rhône Valley), France - 100% Syrah.
This is one of Hervé Souhaut's most serious and distinctive wines, produced within the Saint-Joseph appellation in the northern Rhône Valley. It comes from a specific plot (Clos des Cessieux) located on steep, favorable slopes with granitic soils, which are key to the wine's fresh, vertical, and spicy profile.
It is 100% Syrah, the region's flagship variety, cultivated with respectful practices and controlled yields. The viticulture follows the winemaker's philosophy, centered on manual labor, respect for the soil, and the pursuit of balanced ripening rather than power.
In the winery, the winemaking process adheres to the Souhaut style: hand-harvesting, spontaneous fermentation with native yeasts, and the regular use of whole clusters, which contributes aromatic complexity and a fresher, spicier profile. Maceration is gentle, with carefully controlled extractions to preserve finesse, and aging takes place in used barrels, with minimal oak influence, for approximately one year.
In tasting, the Clos des Cessieux 2024 reveals itself as a Syrah of great elegance and precision. The nose offers aromas of fresh black and red fruits (blackberry, raspberry), floral notes (violet), and a pronounced spicy character (black pepper), along with a mineral background reminiscent of granite. On the palate, it is a refined, fluid, and very balanced wine, with delicate tannins, lively acidity that provides tension, and a silky texture. The overall impression is more one of elegance than power, with a linear and precise development and a long, fresh, and slightly saline finish.
This wine perfectly embodies Souhaut's interpretation of Saint-Joseph: moving away from more structured or overripe styles, he seeks a lighter, more vertical, and expressive Syrah, prioritizing the purity of the fruit, its energy, and the vineyard's identity.
Within his range, Clos des Cessieux stands out as a single-vineyard cuvée, displaying a superior level of depth and definition compared to his more accessible wines. It's a wine that can be enjoyed relatively young due to its finesse, but it also has the capacity to evolve in the bottle, gaining complexity and nuance over time.
Overall, the 2024 Saint-Joseph Clos des Cessieux is a clear example of Hervé Souhaut's style: a red wine of great purity, elegant, mineral, and deeply connected to its terroir, reflecting a contemporary and highly refined vision of Northern Rhône Syrah.
