Francois Villard Saint Peray 'Version'

Francois Villard was not born into wine; he started out his career as a chef. He grew up between Vienne and Grenoble, in the French countryside. He made his first Condrieu in 1991, a whopping 400 bottles. Today, makes wine from 64 hectares, of which he owns 40 hectares, purchasing fruit from the balance. He makes wine from Côte-Rôtie down to Saint Peray, and a little of everything between: four Condrieu, five Saint-Joseph (red and white), three Crozes-Hermitage, a Cornas, and four Vin de France (Marsanne-Roussanne, Viognier, and two Syrah).

Saint-Peray is a unique appellation, south of Cornas, that is planted entirely to white grapes, mainly Roussanne and Marsanne. Wines from Saint-Peray remain relatively obscure as the entire appellation is only 98 hectares and not many are imported in the US. A recent Decanter article describes the wines of Saint-Peray as, "world class. They vary from medium-bodied, fresh and floral in style to full-bodied and opulent."

Villard's Saint-Péray is a great example. It's composed of 80% Marsanne and 20%  Roussanne in decomposed granite and clay soil with southeast exposure. The vines are roughly twenty-years-old. It's fermented and aged for eleven months in three to five year-old barrels, without racking. It's medium bodied and has great lift and freshness to it. On the palate notes of almond and apricot jump out and it has a pronounced mineral spine.