Le Grand Blanc '21

The Domaine’s first harvest was in 1991, but wasn’t until 1994 that Jean-Michel bottled his first wine (for the first few years, he sold the grapes to renowned Rhone producer Guigal). Jean-Michel’s passion for biology and plants led him to study winemaking in Belleville (Saône et Loire) as well as in Beaujolais where he met other natural wine pioneers like Marcel Lapierre and Philippe & Michèle Aubèry of Domaine Gramenon. From 1997 he took the brave decision to convert to biodynamics, working on 5 hectares of Syrah and Serine in Côte Rôtie. The vineyards are terraced and on slopes, some so steep as to be dangerous to be worked on by horse. As of 2017, Jean-Michel’s son, Romain, joined the domaine giving birth to Maison Stephan and together they started farming an further 5 hectares around the nearby villages of Verin, Condrieu and Ampuis. A blend of the three varieties from vineyards in different nearby villages, between the Chasse-sur-Rhône and Roussillon departments. The grapes are hand-harvested, direct pressed and fermented with indigenous yeasts.