Domaine Romaneaux-Destezet (Herve Souhaut) Sainte-Epine 2024

Sainte-Épine is one of the most historically significant lieux-dits in all of Saint-Joseph, located in the southern part of the appellation at Saint-Jean-de-Muzols, just across the river from Hermitage itself — the same granite seam running underneath both. The site was reputedly prized as far back as the 16th century, poured at the table of the Kings of France, and it was the Jesuits of Tournon who gave the area its present name in the 17th century. Hervé Souhaut's holding here is a particularly steep, south-facing plot of centenarian vines, farmed organically with minimal intervention, as across the rest of his five-hectare domaine. True to his whole philosophy, the grapes are hand-harvested and fermented on indigenous yeasts through whole-bunch, semi-carbonic maceration — no destemming, no added stress on the fruit — then aged on fine lees in second-hand oak for around ten months, bottled unfined, unfiltered, and with barely a trace of sulphur.

The result shows real depth and seriousness, a step up in gravity from his more effusive Clos des Cessieux: violets, smoked meat, cassis, and dark, brooding fruit meet black olive, bacon fat, and a profound granite minerality, carried on fine, sappy tannins and bright, lifted acidity. One French wine guide simply calls it "a true concentrate of terroir," balancing intense fruitiness against dazzling mineral drive. It's floral and airy even as it carries real structure — a hallmark of Souhaut's gentler, whole-cluster approach in a region where many producers still chase sheer power.