Appellation
Saint-Joseph
Identity card
VillageAOPRedWhite
Rhône Valley › Northern Rhône · Recognised on 15 June 1956
- Village
- Regional
Key points
- 90% red in 2010; whites mostly from Marsanne, some Roussanne.
- At most 40 hl/ha and at least 10.5% natural alcohol; hand-harvested.
- The delimited area was halved to return to the historic slopes.
Grape varieties
Production rules
40
hl/ha
Maximum yield
10.5
% ABV
Minimum natural alcohol
4,500
vines/ha
Minimum planting density
- Maximum yield
- How much wine a hectare may produce under the appellation (a higher, exceptional ceiling often exists). The lower it is, the less can be made: one of the levers on how concentrated the grapes are. For reference: 35 hl/ha to 80 hl/ha across 128 Oenopia appellations of the same colour.
- Minimum natural alcohol
- The alcohol the grapes' own sugar must be able to give, without enrichment: a ripeness threshold at harvest. For reference: 9 % ABV to 14 % ABV across 78 Oenopia appellations of the same colour.
- Minimum planting density
- The fewest vines allowed per hectare. For the same yield, more vines means fewer grapes on each. For reference: 4,000 vines/ha to 9,000 vines/ha across 136 Oenopia appellations of the same colour.
Terroir
- Lie of the land: Right-bank slopes over 60 km, facing south to south-east
- Soils: Granite sand and sandy-clay soils over ancient bedrock
- Climate: Continental "Lyonnais" climate; cold north wind (Bise)
Wine style
- Red
- Liquorice
- Forest floor
- fruity
- spicy
- velvety tannins
- White
- Honey
- dry
- white flowers
- richness over liveliness
Boundaries: INAO, AOC vineyard plot delimitation (September 2026 edition) · Open Licence
Specification
4 July 2024
Arrêté du 4 juillet 2024 homologuant le cahier des charges de l'appellation d'origine contrôlée « Saint-Joseph » (JORF du 7 juillet 2024 ; BO du MASA du 18 juillet 2024). Appellation initialement reconnue par le décret du 15 juin 1956.
Labelling terms
- The name of a registered lieu-dit may appear on the label
Nearby appellations
Sources
- Official sourceCahier des charges de l'appellation d'origine contrôlée « Saint-Joseph »— Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité (INAO) / Ministère de l'agriculture
A northern Rhône cru stretching some sixty kilometres along the river's right bank, between Condrieu to the north and Saint-Péray to the south, across 23 communes in the Ardèche and 3 in the Loire. Recognised in 1956 on six communes around Tournon, the appellation takes its name from a lieu-dit in that commune; its area was extended in 1969. It makes Syrah reds, which account for most of the output, and whites from Marsanne and Roussanne, on slopes, some of them very steep, worked in narrow terraces.
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Saint-Joseph
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