100% Syrah in that classic northern Rhone style.  The fruit for this comes from three parcels of vines on the outskirts of Saint Joseph.  The wine sees a long fermentation using only indigenous yeasts and a maturation in French oak foudres (large oak barrels for a gentler oak influence).  It shows that classic Syrah peppery character and ripe red fruit with a very gentle vanilla element from the oak.

OK, so this is not a cheap wine by any means, but if you compare it to the Saint Joseph made by the same winemaker at the same property (so we just looking at a small difference in geography) this is about half the price of his Saint Joseph.  That Saint Joseph is, in turn, about half the price of his Cote Rotie.  That's the northern Rhone for you, where there is much less vineyard area than there is in the south so prices are much higher.  This wine manages that clever double act of simultaneous power and elegance and I think it's just brilliant!