Jean-Michel Stéphan

Jean-Michel Stéphan, a bona fide vigneron and intransigent winemaker, a man who respects and draws inspiration from the past, while also being modern and innovative, created his estate in 1991. It stretches over 4.5 hectares in the Côte-Rôtie, including such legendary vineyard sites as Tupin, Semons and Bassenon. His vineyards are made up of 30% Sérine (considered the original stock of Syrah, a pure grape variety which makes wines finer, more full bodied and more complex), 10% Viognier and 60% Syrah, a cloned variety in this case. Some of the estate’s vines are up to 120 years old. In terms of viticulture, ploughing is done by horse when possible (otherwise… with a hoe!), soils are fertilized with natural compost, and no chemical weed killers are used. The goal here is to make natural wines, thus vinifications are done without sulphur, with whole bunches, followed by ageing in old barrels. The wines are neither filtered no fined, and no sulphur is used at bottling either. Jean-Michel makes a few bottles of Condrieu and some Vin de PaysSyrah on the side, but his true love is the Côte-Rôtie – indeed there are few vignerons who have committed themselves with such precision and passion to one appellation... Jean-Michel is an artisan in the noblest sense.