Fruit
Earth
Acid
Body
Tannins
Sergio's Pick
Domaine François Villard is the story of a self-taught winemaker who transitioned from a career as a chef to a highly regarded Northern Rhône producer. He planted his first vines in 1989 and, through dedication and a close friendship with fellow winemakers like Yves Cuilleron, built his estate from scratch. Today, the organically certified winery is celebrated for producing a wide range of expressive, terroir-driven wines across prestigious appellations such as Condrieu, Côte-Rôtie, and Saint-Joseph.
The specific locations for the vineyards include Chavanay, Ardoix, Saint-Michel-sur-Rhône, and Verin. All these vineyard parcels share a common soil composition of decomposed granite. In some areas, this is also intermingled with quartz. The steep, terraced hillsides mean the soil has excellent water drainage
Country
France
Sub-Region
Collines Rhodaniennes
Region
Northern Rhône
Varieties
Syrah
Farming
Organic
Soil
Decomposed granite
Winemaking
25% whole clusters in open-top wood tronconique vats, followed by eleven months of aging, with half the wine remaining in the vat and the other half in neutral barrels.