Notes from Howard Street Wine Merchant:

"After wine studies in Beaune, winemaker Sylvain Gauthier decided to explore native Rhône grapes first with Michel Chapoutier and then with Stéphane Robert, before he was ready to start his own project in the true center of the Saint-Joseph appellation. He founded his micro-domaine in the village of Cheminas in 2007, the name “pierres séches” inspired by the hand-built, ancient stone walls that support vineyard terraces on the steep slopes of the northern Rhône. Farming organically and using little sulfur at bottling, Sylvain’s wines are vibrantly flavored and energetically spiced—in sum, serious northern wines that have quickly become a must have from an up-and-coming talent.

A stunning Saint-Joseph that captures the heart and soul of this appellation — indeed, it hails from villages that make up the southern part of Saint-Joseph, its original borders, where fruit is riper, earthy and very profound. Winemaker Sylvain Gauthier selects fruit from mostly older vines for this gem of a northern Syrah."