Saint-Joseph is the largest of the northern Rhone appellations, producing both red wines, mainly from the Syrah variety, and white wines from the Marsanne and Roussanne varieties.
The appellation was introduced in 1956, and has undergone dramatic changes since then. It began as a relatively small appellation, covering only 6 communes (the French word for parish), but was extended to cover 20 further communes in 1969, following early commercial success and the subsequent drive for expansion.
As of the updated AOC laws of October 2009, the appellation has since been further extended to a total of 26 communes, covering almost the entire western bank of the Rhone river from Condrieu in the north to Valence in the south. The four most northerly of these (Chavanay, Malleval, Saint-Michel-sur-Rhone, Saint-Pierre-de-Boeuf and Verin) actually qualify for both Saint-Joseph and Condrieu appellations.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the best area of Saint-Joseph is where its vineyards are closest to the excellent terroir of Hermitage, in the middle of the northern Rhone region. Although Hermitage and its granite hills are located on the east bank of the river, the town of Tournon on the west bank shares some of its geographical bounty. The communes of Vion, Lemps, St-Jean-de-Muzols, Tournon, Mauves, and Glun (from north to south) cover an area 3 miles (5km) north and south of Tournon, and area covered almost exclusively by vineyards and villages. The land here has less of the granite which warms the vines across the river, and the majority of its slopes face east rather than south-west towards the ripening rays of the afternoon sun, but it is still a source of many high quality red wines. These are generally made in a lighter style, for earlier consumption (no more than 4 years), and lean towards fruitier flavors with softer tannins, rather than the meatier, leathery style of Hermitage.
White wines makes up only one in ten bottles of Saint-Joseph wine, and are dry in style, with honeyed, floral aromas with balanced weight and acidity. They are a marked contrast to the sweet Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise wines from the southern Rhone, and the heavier wines of Condrieu and Chateau Grillet.
The terroirs of Saint-Joseph vary considerably as it meanders for 40 miles (65km) along the Rhone valley. The best sites are set on primary rock formations, consisting of gneiss, granite and mica-rich schist, while others are set on limestone outcrops, or the quaternary alluvial soils of ancient glacial terraces. These soils each bring their own characteristics to the wines produced from them.
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