2020 Pierre Jean Villa 'Preface' St. Joseph

Winemaker Notes:  This is the first red cuvée of the domaine, a wine with a terrific core of Syrah fruit, and it sets the tone (hence its name). The vines grow in the northern, cooler sector of the appellation, the wine is made in a mixture of 225-liter and 600-liter barrels, all older, and the élevage goes for 12-13 months (which will probably increase in the years ahead). The vineyard parcels total two hectares, or five acres, and normally as much as 30% of the grapes--especially those from the old vines of Serine--are fermented with stems.