Receiving a brace of new wines from Jean Delobre at La Ferme Des Sept Lunes is always cause for celebration, particularly so as these are the first we've received in a little while.
We'll be pouring the full range at the portfolio tasting at Slurp on Monday- if you haven't booked your slot yet, you can just drop us an email. It will be a rare chance to try these alongside one another!
Jean farms 10 hectares, perched at 350 metres above sea level, one of the highest farms in St Joseph. The latest of three generations on the family farm, he took over from his parents in 1984, began organic conversion in '96 before starting to following biodynamics in 2001- the same year he decided to leave the local co-op and focus on their own vinifcations. Falling down the biodynamic rabbit hole, over the last 20 years he feels the wines have much more precision and energy.
Plots are now vinified separately, and even if later blended together for certain cuvees, these are place-explicit expression of each parcel across the patchwork. Jean was joined in 2017 by friend and neighbour Jaques Maurice, also looking to leave the local co-op to allow his 3.5 hectares speak for themselves.
We have quite the array of cuvees with near-identical labels, so we'll get out of the way and let the wines do the talking here:
WHITES
2020 - VDF - Viognier Roussanne
Jean's freshest expression, no barrels here. A 50/50 blend, from plots on deeper loess soil. Unfined & unfiltered.
2019 - AOC St Joseph - Lune Rousse - Roussanne
From a single plot of Roussane on the plateau next to Jean's house. Younger vines, aged in concrete egg and one barrel, blended together before bottling. No additions.
2018 - AOC St Joseph - De Deux Choses Lune - Roussanne, Marsanne
A 50/50 blend from plots on the slope, over granite. Vinification and ageing in a combination of old barrels and demi-muid. Jean was particularly pleased with the whites in 2018- he feels like he caught the harvest time correctly.
SKINS
2019 - VDF - Underground Orange Velvet - Viognier, Roussanne
Another of Jean's successful experiments, an amphora each of de-stemmed Viognier and whole bunch Roussanne. Zero sulphur, blended together after 12 months.
REDS
2020 - VDF - Glou - Gamay
From a half-hectare plot of Gamay on granite just outside the appellation. One third destemmed, two thirds whole bunch for a semi-carbonic maceration. Aged in tank, no additions.
2020 - VDF - Syrah
A plot neighbouring the Gamay, outside appellation, made to the same method as the Glou. Aged in tank, no additions.
2018 - AOC St Joseph - Premier Quartier - Syrah
All the St Joseph reds see the same sort of maceration once destemmed, two weeks to 20 days with a little remontgage at the beginning, and some pigeage at the end. Premier Quartier is from an east-facing plot on the plateau near Jean's house.
2018 - AOC St Joseph - Pleine Lune - Syrah
From a plot plated in 1990 in terraces on the slope, top soils here shallow are sandy, hitting the deep vein of granite pretty quickly. Aged in demi-muid for 12 months. Unfined & unfiltered.
2017 - AOC St Joseph - Halo sur le Baudet - Syrah
One of Jaques plots, at the top of the hillside in the commune of Sarras. South-facing, on granite. Aged in demi-muids for 12 months. Unfined and unfiltered.
2018 - AOC St Joseph - Chemin Faisant - Syrah
The oldest vines, planted in 1974 from massal selection, close to the Premier Quartier parcel. Much shallower soils, and finer boned than Premier Quartier. Aged in demi-muid for 12 months. No additions.
