Domaine de l'Iserand Saint Joseph 2023

Here’s a wine to remind us that can Saint-Joseph can possess real finesse and vibrancy. It’s a 100% Syrah from south-facing  granite & mica-schist soils at Sécheras & decomposed granite with loess & hard granite soils at Ozon. Both sectors sit high above the Rhone River at 300 metres; any higher and the vines could not be classified St-Jo. Naturally fermented as whole bunches, the wine sees two weeks on skins with a little carconic and is aged with no oak at all; instead, it is raised in a combination of concrete tanks and amphora for 18 months. Leaping out the glass, it is already bright, refreshing, and dripping with succulent red fruits and peppercorn spice mopped up by focussed acidity and twist of mineral brightness. It’s a delicious reminder of how close the Northern Rhône is to Beaujolais—and not just in terms of distance.