Jean-Baptiste Souillard is a micro-négociant based in the hills above Andance, crafting single-parcel wines from high-altitude, granite-rich sites across the Northern Rhône. Trained as an enologist, with time at Château Latour, Comte Armand, and a Cornas lab, he marries precision with a quiet, old-world reverence for place. Inspired by the Cistercian method, his philosophy is both technical and spiritual: one parcel, one wine, each cuvée a faithful expression of its origin. In recent years, his wines have quietly earned him a cult following among those seeking Rhône wines of depth and restraint. His reds are whole-cluster, savory, and structured for the long haul; his whites are shaped by early oxidation, minerality, and a fine thread of savory tension. These are wines that speak slowly, but with depth, clarity, and grace.
‘Les Bâties’ is one of the clearest expressions of that vision. This 0.10-hectare parcel, planted between the 1940s and 1960s, sits on a moderately steep southeast-facing slope just north of the Hermitage hill, between the villages of Crozes-Hermitage and Larnage. A small stream at the base of the slope brings a cool northern breeze, lending lift and freshness to the wine. The vineyard’s elevation (200 meters) and its unusually complex geology of granite, wind-blown calcareous loess, and ancient alluvium contribute to a striking transparency and detail in the final wine.
Souillard vinifies this site with 40 to 100% whole clusters, using ambient yeasts and a gentle 2 to 3-week maceration with pump-overs in stainless steel. The wine is then aged for 13 to 18 months in used barrels, with no fining or filtration and minimal sulfur. The resulting Les Bâties is a vivid, finely drawn expression of syrah, more red than black, lifted and infused rather than extracted. Delicate spice, petal-y aromatics, and a subtle green edge from the stems give shape to a wine that feels simultaneously precise and wild. With its cool fruit, mineral backbone, and measured intensity, it captures something rare: a sense of quiet confidence. It doesn’t imitate Burgundy, but it does share its belief in the singularity of place. And for now, it remains one of the Northern Rhône’s great values, though likely not for long.
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These wines are pre-arrival with an estimated ship date of early fall. Your wines will ship as weather permits and the daily range is consistently between 45 and 74 degrees. Please note pre-arrival sales are non-refundable as suppliers require us to make binding commitments and deposits to secure the wine.
