Domaine Pierre Gonon is today regarded as the reference point for the wines of St Joseph, but like so many others, came from a very humble background. Pierre Gonon started off farming some of Mauve’s best slopes in the heart (some say the birthplace) of the St-Joseph appellation. In 1989, he handed over the direction of the property to his two sons, Jean and Pierre. This friendly, talented team of brothers has since earned a reputation as THE Domaine of St-Joseph. This appellation sits along the western bank of the Northern Rhône, with its close neighbor, Hermitage, across the river. When it gained its A.O.C. in 1956, the area under vine was tiny, based just around the town of St-Joseph and neighbouring villages Mauves, Tournon, and St-Jean-de-Muzols. The eastern exposure in the vineyards allows for limited hours of sunshine, lending an unusual freshness and joie de vivre to these Northern Rhône whites and reds.
In 1971, the appellation was expanded, and, sadly, the average quality of St Joseph wines plummeted, with too many over-cropped, forgettable wines appearing on the market. The Gonon brothers destroy this paradigm completely, as they both farm and ferment in the old-school style. They work their nine hectares of land without any chemical fertilizers, herbicides, or pesticides, using all-natural composts. They just recently started the process for organic certification, although they have been farming this way since 2004. Their low-yielding vineyards span three of the original communes of St-Joseph, all sitting on prized granite bedrock, the best of which was purchased from St Joseph’s previous most highly regarded producer, Raymond Trollat, now retired, in 2005. Vineyards are replanted with cuttings from their strongest vines to perpetuate healthy rootstock and continuity of style. Once in the cellar, they ferment the wines traditionally, in open oak vats, with regular punch-downs by foot. Their wines are gutsy and wild, while still showing the freshness achieved by the very best wines of the appellation.
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