Field Blend

2009, La Vendemia Blanc, Famille Darndaud-McKerrow

This complex, idiosyncratic white, our second vintage imported and only the third vintages produced under this label, is from an old vineyard previously owned and exploited by the great legend, Reymond Trollat. Made from a mixed planting, or field blend, of old and somewhat unfashionable white varieties it is thus, not able to be sold as “St. Joseph”, although the vineyard fall well inside the latter AOC’s boundaries. These old vines are situated at St Jean-de-Muzols, (check out this link for a view from the vineyards looking across the Rhone to Hermitage http://www.panoramio.com/photo/2122094 ) across the river from Hermitage, on a sunny south-east site of decomposed granite [similar aspect and geology to Bessards on the Hermitage hill]. In fact this site was part of the Hermitage hill before it was cut off by the Rhone river when it changed course. The ½ ha site is planted with vines over 100yo, including* chasselass, marsanne, rousette [also called altesse], roussanne and even a little ugni blanc.


The grapes are picked by hand, sorted and placed in a cool-room for 24 hours. They are softly pressed and the juice settled before barrels are filled. It’s very simple and traditional, yet effective winemaking. No yeast is added and there is a high ratio of “solids” in the juice. It is co-fermented and aged for 18 months in barrels of 2 and 3 years age and bottled by hand, neither fined nor flitered.

Vignerons Claire Darnaud and her husband Shane McKerrow (winemaker at J L Chave!) have again chosen to show faith and respect to this heirloom vineyard; the 2009 white revels in the culmination of proven ancient vines, time-honored terroir, thoughtful, intelligent and insightful production, and passion.

Made in minuscule quantities (Claire and Shane's largest vintage in 07 tilled the scales at 90 dozen), the 2009 bottling wine shows freshness and vivacity, in fact the acidity seems a little more pronounced than the mellow 2007 which is, perhaps, surprising given the rich, ripe & robust nature of the ’09 St Joseph vintage. Also, those complex sulphides (ethyl mercaptan?) that immediatly jumped out of your glass of 2007 are slightly toned down, though weather is is a winemaking choice or by virtue of sealing under cork instead of cap* im not quite sure.


In other respects, the song, as they say, remains the same; that glowing opulence and a mellow, complex texture that caresses the tongue; evocative patisserie-like aromas of pear danish, vanilla (non-oak derived) and almond croissant and last but not least that pleasing, clean & subtle acidity providing. There is no oak showing and the modest 13.0% alcohol helps to add some richness without fatness.

* The 2009 is bottled under cork. Volumes were well down on the previous shipment and the decision was made to bottle by hand and sealed under cork

Holy Schist | 2007 La Vendemia St Joseph

A two-barrel, centurion-vine syrah production; gentle yet edgy and rather exciting!

The nose is unmistakably stem-retentive. It’s pure and smoky with a touch of violet, oil, pine and some olive. It’s decidedly old-school in the best sense; its real wine of the earth material, full of true local authenticity. The structure is sinewy, tight with pure bramble and black raspberry fruit adding the flesh to a fine-boned frame of ripe fruit tannin with the tannin leached from ripe-stems adding a fundamentally complex framework for the fruit and acids to duck and dive. It’s a provocative style of wine that the young duo may struggle to replicate in a cooler vintage. Its nervy, graceful and finishes with excellent clarity, clearly stylistically close to Reymond Trollat's (the vineyards legendary retired owner - see below) traditional expression of syrah.

The Clos St. Joseph vineyard has only 1000 vines. Its old, crusty syrah, planted on the schist and granite in Aubert at St-Jean-de-Muzols. There is only about 8cm of topsoil with hard granite underneath, so with solid rock underfoot, the skinny vines don’t have much wood to show for their century of life. The grapes are hand-picked, and in the traditional way, no de-stemming is carried out. The skins and stems are all left with the wine for 1 month to give richness, flavour and extract. There are no pumps used and the winemaking could not be simpler.

We first met Shane McKerrow working as a “cellar rat” in the cave of probably the worlds greatest shiraz producer, Domaine J-L Chave, who was, at that moment, racking fine Hermitage wine, trying not to spill a precious drop.

He and wife Claire later spoke of their own 100yo white vineyard that used to belong to a legendary vigneron Raymond Trollat [for an in-depth explanation, see John Livingston-Learmonth’s “The Wines of the Northern Rhone”], their tiny “Clos St. Joseph” shiraz vineyard that is even older, and their plans to make natural, essential and “honest” wines using all the knowledge, hard work and experience they could muster.

For lovers of great northern Rhone wines, they have released a pair of 2007 wines that are not only stunning and intellectually stimulating, but are now available in Australia [the entire production of 90 cases!].

Nic@