Opposite the sainted hill of Hermitage, on the other side of the river Rhône, is Saint-Jean-de-Muzols. Part of the sprawling and variable St-Joseph appellation, and with a name that doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue in the same way, its wines will never be as famous as those of its neighbour. Yet this area, unlike the inferior, flatter lands of much of St-Joseph, is full of tough-to-work granite slopes that contain some small but exceptional old Syrah vineyards. It’s from these that Christophe Rouchier makes his wines, and they're some of the most exciting in the Northern Rhône.
Rouchier has less than three hectares of land, which he farms organically and with loving care. He takes a hands-off approach in the winery, with wild fermentations in concrete vats and ageing in old barrels. It’s the method of a vigneron and a craftsman, and it brings out the character of his old vineyards in wines of bracing clarity. ‘Luc’ is from a St-Joseph vineyard planted in 1972, and ‘La Chave’ dates back to 1958. La Chave is fuller-bodied, but both have an elegance and freshness running through them that makes them a real pleasure to drink. There are also some Vin de France wines from other vineyards. They have the same freshness in a lighter, juicier form.
Domaine Rouchier’s tiny production means the majority is sold locally. What’s left is increasingly fought-over by lovers of pure, authentic old vine Syrah. It's no wonder - these are wines of rare quality from a relatively under-appreciated area of a classic wine region.
