Jean Louis Chave

Jean Louis Chave is one of the most cerebral and hard working winemakers we’ve ever met. He took over his family’s domaine in 1993 but as if that wasn’t enough work, a few years later he began reclaiming his family’s hillside vineyards in St. Joseph. These vineyards were abandoned and required re-terracing and re-planting.

The first vintage of the Jean Louis Chave Selection label was 1995 and it came entirely from St. Joseph. At first it was fruit purchased from growers Jean Louis knew well and came from parcels within the historic limits of the St. Joseph appellation. As his own vineyards were replanted and started bearing fruit, Offerus became more estate owned vineyards and less purchased fruit. With time, as more newly planted vineyards came online  the scope of Jean Louis’ project grew. He was able to add other wines to the selection label: a Crozes-Hermitage made partly from young vines planted in 2003 owned by the domaine , a St. Joseph Blanc from a vineyard purchased in 2009, a Hermitage Rouge and Blanc, and a Côtes du Rhône.

We leave you some recommendations of wines from this great winery that you can find on our website

1. Hermitage Rouge 2018 Magnum – red wine

Hermitage Rouge is made from Syrah , destemmed and foot-crushed. The wine is made in stainless steel vats and tuns . The wine is aged for around 30 months in barrels, 10 to 20% of which are new.

2. Hermitage Rouge 2018 – red wine 

The Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Red 2018 is an exceptional red wine produced in the Hermitage appellation, located in the Rhône Valley, France. The Chave family is renowned for its craftsmanship and commitment to the production of wines of exceptional quality. The 2018 vintage was hailed as excellent in Hermitage, offering ideal climatic conditions for the ripening of the grapes and the creation of wines of great concentration and aromatic complexity.

3. Saint Joseph 2018 – red wine

St. Joseph red is firm with a core of minerality that is enhanced by savory and peppery qualities. Aromas and flavors of smoke, olives, herbs, and violets are common; its wines are dense in red and black fruit.

It is also a source of fine northern Rhône white wine. Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne grow well here and can be blended or made into single varietal wines. St. Joseph whites are full and silky with citrus, pear and pineapple flavors and a rich bouquet reminiscent of honeysuckle, toasted nuts, spice and caramel.

4. Saint Joseph Clos Florentin 2019 – red wine 

A more regal, elegant, full-bodied wine that reminds me of a Côte Rôtie from the southern end of the appellation, the 2019 Saint Joseph Le Clos has beautiful red and black fruits as well as flowers, spice box, and incense. These all carry to a full-bodied, expansive, refined, and seamless Saint Joseph that’s going to deliver the goods over the coming 10-15 years.

5. Selections Mon Coeur 2019 – red wine

Grenache and Syrah of superb maturity come to embody, after aging in vats and tuns, the gourmet and deep typicality of their terroir. With "Mon Cœur", Jean-Louis Chave rigorously selects vines in the heart of the southern Rhône vineyard to then provide his interpretation, with his poetry and his talent as a winemaker.

6. Selections Silene 2020 – red wine

Introverted on the nose for now, fairly powerful, the alcohol is well balanced but the tannins need taming – they're big, bold and chewy. Naturally good fruit, but not the most elegant at this stage. Give it a couple of years to come together. From the Chave family's J.L. Chave Sélection négociant range, a parcel of vines from Larnage.