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.

This Crozes-Hermitage comes from two small parcels at the northern edge of the appellation, where syrah vines planted in the 1990s and early 2000s cling to the top and bottom of a southwest-facing slope. The soils are loamy but anchored by mixed granite bedrock, a signature Souillard seeks out for its ability to bring both freshness and finesse to his wines. Vinification leans heavily on whole-cluster fermentation (70 to 100%), with ambient yeasts and a 2 to 3-week maceration in stainless steel, followed by 12 to 18 months in used oak. There’s no fining, no filtration, and only minimal sulfur.

The resulting wine is both focused and quietly expressive. Dark-fruited but lifted, with spice and a mineral spine, it’s a Crozes that speaks more in tones of structure and restraint than immediate charm. A wine that rewards time and patience, just as its maker intended.

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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.