Producer: Domaine Julien Cecillon
Region: Northern Rhone, France
Varietals: Syrah
Viticulture: Organic
Category: Red
Size: 1.5L
Relatively speaking, the northern Rhône is a tiny viticultural region, with only around 2,800 ha planted in total, and its more famous wines difficult to obtain—so it’s a special pleasure to see a new producer rise and begin to offer excellent work in the area. Julien Cécillon is one such winery founded by two winemakers, Texas-born Nancy Kershen and Rhône native Julien, who labor together to make elegant-but-drinkable versions of this famous place’s wines.
‘Les Graviers’ is a négociant blend of three vineyard sites in the Rhône. The majority of fruit comes from the southern parts of the Drôme and Ardèche, a smaller amount from vineyards around Tournon. ‘Les Graviers’ means ‘gravel,’: the winery was a former gravel warehouse, and the market square in Tournon where Julien grew up is called ‘Place des Graviers.’ The soils in this 4 ha cluster of vineyards are clay-limestone and granite with pebbles; Native yeast fermentation is 70% destemmed, 30% whole-cluster in stainless steel. Élevage is between 8 to 14 months in neutral barrels.
Les Graviers shows classic Syrah aromas and juicy flavors such as red raspberries and black olives.
