Rhone Valley
Domaine Vallet, Saint-Joseph
Louis Vallet and his son Anthony preside over this small artisan domaine. In addition to carrying on a 150-year-old family wine growing tradition on the steep slopes of Saint-Joseph, the Vallets still farm cherry and apricot trees on the plateau below.
They tend a combined 30 acres of vines including parcels in all four distinct terroir zones around Serrières, one of Saint-Joseph’s 26 communes located in the northern part of the 37 mile-long appellation. Anthony now calls the shots in both the vineyard and the cellar, but Dad is still a very active advisor.
The domaine produces two red wines from 100% Syrah, a small amount of white Saint Joseph, and a similarly limited quantity of Condrieu. The Saint-Joseph Cuvée des Muletiers is named for the men who used to transport wine up to market in St-Étienne by mule-drawn wagons. The Vallets push the envelope on ripeness with the domaine’s oldest vines (planted in the 70s), do more punching down, and give this cuvée an added dimension of new oak, making Muletiers a grander scale wine than their classic cuvée.
Domaine Facts
| Vines: | 30 acres in Saint-Joseph: 27.5 acres Syrah, 1.5 acres Marsanne, 1 acre Roussanne Approximately 1.85 acres in Condrieu planted to Viognier Average age of Saint-Joseph vines is 30-years-old |
| Wines: | Saint-Joseph Cuvée des Muletiers Saint-Joseph (Cuvée Domaine) Saint-Joseph Blanc (60% Marsanne, 40% Roussanne) |
| Soil: | Predominantly granite with schist and some clay for Syrah parcels Marsanne and Roussanne from two vineyard sources: one with high clay content (Les Rouasses) and one comprised mostly of schist (Les Côtes) |
| Harvest: | All fruit on these steep slopes must be picked by hand using shallow bins. |
| Yields: | 35 hectolitres/hectare for Cuvée des Muletiers 40 hectoliters/hectare for the classic Saint-Joseph |
| Vinification & Elevage: |
All fruit is destemmed. Fermentation takes place in open tanks with punch down twice a day (three times a day for Muletiers). 15-25 day maceration with temperature regulation. Classic Saint-Joseph aged in neutral one to three year-old barrels for 12 months. Cuvée des Muletiers aged for 15-18 months with percentage aged in new barrels (10-20% depending on vintage conditions). Up to 70% of Saint Joseph Blanc fermented and aged in neutral barrels, 30% to 40% in tank. |
| Annual Production: | 72,000 bottles / 6000 cases |