Jean-Baptiste Souillard Saint-Peray Chalaboud 2016 75cl

Jean-Baptiste Souillard

Wine: Saint-Peray Chalaboud

Region: FRANCE Rhone

Grape: Marsanne

Colour: White

Alcohol: 12.5%

Size: 75cl

Producer

A rising star of the Northern Rhône, Jean-Baptiste returned to St Joseph after working in New Zealand, Australia, California, Bordeaux and Burgundy. He has sought out small high altitude parcels that express balance and elegance. Quantities of each cuvée are often tiny as Jean Baptise seeks to focus on single parcel expressions.  

Farming and Winemaking

Jean-Baptiste seeks freshness in his wines, so has sought out vines mainly on the top of slopes as well as being planted on granite. All his vineyards are listed as ‘lute raisonnée’. 

His Vins de France whites are partially crushed, his ‘village’ or ‘cru’ whites are lightly crushed. He uses small vertical presses to extract some tannin and bitterness for his whites to give them support and ageability—”la voie de amers” (the bitter road). He likes to ‘explode’ the whites with air, allowing for the use of no sulphur in the beginning by oxidizing the wines early. Classic élevage, old school principles.

 A 0.16ha long steep south-facing slope, almost 500m altitude at the top with rocky soils at the top and granite sand at the bottom, owned by Monsieur Chalaboud. Direct pressed, then a 1-2 month indigenous yeast fermentation, 100% malolactic fermentation and aged for 1 year in old oak barrels.