Louis Chèze: Wine Producer in Rhône Valley

THE TERROIR OF SEYSSUEL

Head for the heart of the northern Rhône, 60km south of Lyon. On the borders of the right bank of the Rhône river, the exceptional terroir of Seyssuel nestles. Already in ancient times, great Greek and Latin authors (from Pliny the Elder to Plutarch, not forgetting the poet Martial) praised the merits of this region in their writings, which they called "saxeolum optimum vinum": "Seyssuel, the little rock with the very good wine".

This is where the valley is the narrowest, as the steepness of the valley amplifies the wind, dries out the climate and the soil, and increases the temperature. In addition to the fact that the fauna and flora usually found in the south of the region are found here, the Syrah grape variety, which has a lot of character, finds its favourite place here. A land of exception for wines that live up to this nature.

HIGH STANDARDS AND AMBITION OF LOUIS CHÈZE

But a good wine would not be without a good winemaker, and in this respect Louis Chèze can be proud of his production! Taking over the family property in 1978, he initially owned only one hectare of Saint-Joseph and a few rented vines. But perseverance and ambition clearly define our man who, although initially not wishing to exceed 10 hectares of vines, today owns 30 hectares for the two appellations Condrieu and Saint-Joseph and the Vin de Pays designation.

Passionate, he likes above all to rehabilitate these old, fallow hillsides to transform them into one of the most beautiful estates in the Northern Rhône. But with Louis Chèze, every plantation is carefully thought out and he is careful to preserve the balance between a very high planting density and a limited number of grapes per vine so that each vineyard gives the best of itself. Meticulous, he imposes manual harvesting, a selection of grapes at the picking and in the cellar on a sorting table, and an 18-month ageing period in new oak barrels. With Louis Chèze, each vintage is a constant challenge in order to obtain the quintessence of the terroirs that nature offers him.

Red wines: Saint-Joseph AOC – Côte-Rôtie AOC – Les Vignobles de Seyssuel – Vin de France

White wines: Condrieu AOC – Saint-Joseph AOC – Les Vignobles de Seyssuel – Vin de France