• Jean-Baptiste Souillard

    • Saint Joseph L’Echirol

    At a Glance

    • Size: 0.05 ha (0.12 ac)
    • Variety: Syrah
    • Vine Age: Planted in the 1990s
    • Terroir: Extremely steep slope, south-facing, 150-200 m elevation, moderately deep, sandy, strongly acidic soil with gneiss.
    • Viticulture: Sustainable
    • Vinification: 40-100% whole-cluster, 2-3-week ambient yeast fermentation and maceration with pump-overs, aged for 13-18 months in used barrels, no fining or filtration, minimal SO2 added during vinification and adjusted after if needed.

    Additional Info

    Site: L’Echirol is located in Saint-Jean-de-Muzols on the same hill as the famed terroir of Saint-Epine. The vineyard is extremely steep and terraced. It faces directly south and sits between 150 to 200 meters in elevation.

    Geology: L’Echirol is planted on a bedrock of gneiss and migmatite. The rock is lighter in color than the average granites in Saint-Joseph and contains more quartz and feldspar with small splays of biotite.

    Soils: The soils are light grey in color and sandy with very little clay. They are strongly acidic. They are moderately deep (40-50 cm). The sand in the soil is micaceous (contains biotite/muscovite). Some gravels and cobbles are present, but many seem to be lost due to the steepness of the slope..

    We are greatly indebted to Brenna Quigley for the geology and physical descriptions.