Saint-Joseph La Pierre Levee 2011

Rich and dense yet a wine that provokes an impression of freshness rather than of heaviness. The oak is present but certainly does not dominate. The wine has fine structure, with ripe supple tannins. Powerful, but fine and elegant; the wine is delicious and easy to drink with its long, fresh, spicy and well-balanced finish.

The "Pierre Levée," or the "Risen Rock," is a large block of granite on the vineyard. Legend maintains that the rock appeared mysteriously overnight in ancient times. Wines from this region were appreciated as early as the 16th Century by the French kings. It was in the 18th Century that the Jésuit monks of Tournon first baptized these wines 'Saint Joseph'. The modern borderline dates from 1956 when this part of the Côtes du Rhône we finally defined by the appellation AOC St Joseph.