Chave Saint Joseph Rouge 2003

Histoire du domaine

The Chave family’s history in Rhône winegrowing dates back to 1481, following the allocation of land by a local lord at the end of the 15th century. The family’s origins lie on the hillsides that today correspond to the Saint-Joseph appellation. Gérard Chave took over the family estate in 1970 and consolidated its portfolio of plots on the Hermitage hill. Jean-Louis Chave joined his father in 1992, after studying in the United States, including a course in oenology at the University of California, Davis. He represents the sixteenth generation of the family and now runs the estate, whilst Gérard Chave remains involved in its operations. During the 1990s, the estate undertook to reclaim the Bachasson hillside in Saint-Joseph, where the family had historically cultivated vines. In 2009, he acquired Clos Florentin with a view to restoring this wine-growing area, where the vineyards had declined significantly following the phylloxera crisis of the late 19th century. The registered vineyard covers 26 hectares, comprising 21 hectares of red grape varieties and 5 hectares of white grape varieties. Winemaking is overseen by Jean-Louis Chave, with grapes processed on a plot-by-plot basis prior to the estate’s blends.