The Domaine de L'Iserand by Jean-François Malsert stands as a refuge high up! This eclectic winemaker established the estate on the Ardèche plateau, at an altitude exceeding 350 meters near Tournon. This privileged location lies in the northern part of the Rhône Valley, in the heart of the Saint Joseph appellation.
Jean-François' journey to winemaking has been winding: he first opened a wine bar in Tournon, then traveled to New Zealand and Australia, before returning to his homeland to dedicate himself entirely to wine. His love for organic and natural wines, akin to those he sold in his wine bar, led him to found the Domaine de L'Iserand.
At the heart of a winery are, of course, the vines... Some of his grandfather's vineyards were partly abandoned, so Jean-François worked hard to restore and replant them. Additionally, he buys grapes from other growers to ensure sufficient volume to meet his customers' demand.
The terroir is primarily characterized by granite, gneiss, mica schist, and loess slopes. Half of the vineyards are worked with animal traction, winch & pickaxe, while the other half with a small tractor.
Vinification is guided by a principle of simplicity: the reds are often whole-cluster fermented, and the maceration time is short, from one to two weeks. The whites are pressed directly, although skin maceration trials are conducted. The wines are then aged in amphorae and demi-muids for 6 to 18 months.
Jean-François particularly appreciates these high-altitude terroirs, which allow him to produce light and airy Saint Joseph wines. His Saint Joseph whites do not undergo wood aging and are vinified in amphorae to maintain tension. No fining, no filtration, a little sulfur at bottling, and that's it.
The Domaine de L'Iserand is a small producer of Saint Joseph who started in 2011 with old vines from his grandfather. The owner, Jean-François Malsert, used to own a small wine bar in Tournon, specializing in top producers in the region.
The vineyards are all farmed organically, with natural vinification in the cellar: indigenous yeasts, neutral wood or amphorae for aging, little or no SO2 in elevage (just at bottling).
Besides Saint Joseph, he produces a little VDP Syrah and Gamay from the hillsides above Saint Joseph.
Jean-François seeks a true expression of grape and terroir, which he believes can only be achieved through respect for Mother Nature and the natural life of the wine. In his own words, "We fight to grow good grapes, it would be a pity to pollute them in the cellar".
