Nicolas Badel Saint-Joseph Montrond 2018
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Hailing from the northern Rhône and a family of local farmers, Nicolas Badel trained as an engineer before deciding that winemaking was where his heart belonged. Nicolas returned to school and studied viticulture, spending many years working in the vineyards of other producers. In 1999, he acquired his vineyards in Saint-Joseph and Condrieu near the town of Limony and began by selling his wine to the local cooperative. It wasn’t until 2010 that he finally started bottling wine under his own name from his own eight hectares, which says a lot about Nicolas. He is not one to rush anything; instead, he is a steadfast perfectionist who prefers to take his time and do things the right way.
Nicolas Badel’s farming has been certified organic since the very beginning and he is now in the process of carefully working biodynamics into his vineyards, with the intent of making the finest wines possible from his terroir. The small winery is located near Vernosc-lès-Annonay, on the plateau above the Cance valley, a tributary of the Rhône. On a hillside called Les Grandes Vignes next to the winery, Nicolas has reclaimed 2.5 hectares of vines at 350m on sandy granitic soils with full southern exposure, from which he makes his wine called Intuition. The vineyard is planted mostly to syrah, but also some marsanne and viognier within a natural clos, which is secluded within a forest, untouched by other vineyards. Nicolas calls the naturally beautiful area very ‘sauvage’.The granite here is very sandy, which allows for excellent drainage and root penetration. This soil is relatively easy to work as well, all of which make it ideal for Syrah. Exposure is full south, protected from the cold northerly winds.
Nicolas likes to explain that his wine-making is non-formulaic: he adapts it to the unique conditions of each vintage. The essence of his philosophy is to make terroir and finesse-driven wines that are pure, precise, clean, and transparent. The wines are meant to be well-structured, yet also approachable and easy to drink. We tend to agree, as Nicolas’ wines are captivating upon release, yet will undoubtedly reward the patience of those who add a case to their cellars. Nicolas Badel has earned his status in France as a highly respected, cult northern Rhône producer, whose wines are becoming harder to come by as more drinkers are exposed to the quality and relative value of his exacting wines. Without a doubt, these are the Saint-Joseph wines of the future and we are thrilled to be here for the ride
Marked by an unmistakable deep purple hue and savory aromatics, Syrah makes an intense, powerful and often age-worthy red. Native to the Northern Rhône, Syrah achieves its maximum potential in the steep village of Hermitage and plays an important component in the Red Rhône Blends of the south, adding color and structure to Grenache and Mourvèdre. Syrah is the most widely planted grape of Australia and is important in California and Washington. Sommelier Secret—Such a synergy these three create together, the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre trio often takes on the shorthand term, “GSM.”
Spanning the longest stretch of river in the northern Rhône—from Condrieu in the north, to Cornas in the south—the heart of St.-Joseph lies directly across the Rhône River from Hermitage. While its soils are basically the same as Hermitage: granite, supplemented by sand and gravel, its east facing slope receives less sunlight than Hermitage, which causes less overall berry ripening on its Syrah vines. However, some of the best of them can rival any fine expression of Hermitage, Cote-Rotie or Cornas with concentrated black fruits, dark spices, crushed rock and violets. A general advantage of the region is that its Syrahs typically don’t need as much time in the bottle compared to a Cote-Rotie or Hermitage and are much easier on the bank account!
A textbook 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.
St.-Joseph 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.