Stéphane Montez comes from a family of grape growers and wine makers in the Northern Rhône. He is the tenth generation. The family vineyards are located in Condrieu, Côte Rôtie and Saint-Joseph. When making Syrah, Stéphane uses some stems but not 100% whole cluster. It depends on the vintage. Something that I see more and more these days. The wines do see some air with pump overs during fermentation. After fermentation all his reds are aged in barrels. Up to 10% Marsanne and Roussanne is allowed in Saint-Joseph but the Domaine du Monteillet Saint-Joseph is made from 100% Syrah. Stéphane chooses small oak barrels for malolactic fermentation and aging before bottling. This wine is pure Syrah with classic black pepper, smoke and game notes. It is approachable now but will age nicely. Looking forward to trying more wines from this rising star in the Rhône.
Originally posted to instagram.com/culinairegourmet