We have just been to visit Jeff and tasted his latest vintage from amphora and barrel - really lovely wines from a very down to earth, but incredibly talented winemaker.
The first thing you notice when you meet Jeff is his incredible passion for his wines and his domaine. He has a real connection with his vineyards and pours so much of his plentiful energy into his wines. He is a very animated person and this is reflected in his wines - vibrant and full of energy.
These are inexpensive wines, however they are made with real authenticity & care in tiny quantities - some 200 cases per cuvee.
Seckford recommends the following wine from Jean-Francois - a real company favourite!
A wine to drink, and enjoy now.
Immense pleasure from a complex, but very approachable wine.
Saint Joseph les Sabots de Coppi, 2019
6 x 75cl Bottle - £115 IB (£154 incl. VAT)
All stock available at Seckford for delivery right away
Carriage for UK mainland is £18 per delivery
All offered subject to final confirmation
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Continue Reading to Find Out More About This Wine and Jeff's Other Wines
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Saint Joseph Les Sabots de Coppi, 2019
6 x 75cl - £115 IB
£154 incl. VAT & Duty
Jeff's grandfather had a mule and a bicycle. When he wasn't working with 'Coppi' the mule in the vines, he was cycling around the hills of St Joseph! He loved cycling so much that his mule was named after Fausto Coppi, the great cyclist! Les Sabots are Coppi's hooves.
100% Syrah from granite & mica-schist soils at Sécheras (33%, planted 2011) & decomposed granite with loess & hard granite soils at Ozon (67%, planted 2001, southern sector), vineyards at Arras to come on stream, 2-3 week vinification, 75-100% whole bunch, raised used 70% 600-litre oak casks & 30% Spanish amphora 15-18 months, first wine 2015 (1,500 b), 2,400-3,500 b
A beautiful dark violet colour. So expressive and fragrant on the nose - blueberries and dark raspberries with bright floral violety notes and a hint of baking spices. Soft, rounded and very pretty. Energy and freshness on the palate, flavours of blueberry and soft red fruits coming through with a touch of light spice and cedar. Quite powerful and a little gamey with light pepper and beautiful mouthcoating texture. Lovely and pure, with a zesty mineral finish and gentle tannins. Olive tapenade and spice to end.
Drink now or within a few years.
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Jeff says that his most important experience in wine was gained when he was the patron of the lively Carafe aux Folies wine bar in Tournon. Talking to fantastic winemakers every day and trying their wines allowed him to fully discover and explore the wines of the region and work out exactly what kind of wine he wanted to make himself.
He now has four hectares in Ozon, Arras and Sécheras; the base of them are his grandfather's old vineyards that have never been sprayed with chemicals.
His grandfather grew grapes to eat & sell, but the vines were grubbed up by his father. Jean-Francois started re-planting vines on his grandfather’s land in 2007, always respecting each site or vineyard with the same colour of grapes, if not always the same varieties.
Jean-Francois sold the wine bar and became a full-time vigneron in 2017. He grows Syrah, Marsanne, Roussanne, Viognier & Gamay, and buys some grapes from the local farmers he knows who allow him to dictate the nurture, vine training and crop levels. Organic, low sulphur, whole bunch wine-making and minimal interference. He uses amphorae and old demi-muids for ageing. He works the land with his mules - Junior and Baroud (pictured below), a winch and a mattock.
He experiments with his wines, using combinations of barrel & amphora - our recent tasting notes were littered with the words balance, vibrant, fragrant & delicious.
2019
Vin de France Alliance, 2019
6 x 75cl Bottle - £65 IB (£94 incl. VAT)
Vin de France Syrah La Maquerelle, 2019
6 x 75cl Bottle - £75 IB (£107 incl. VAT)
Vin de France Syrah Clos des Vaches, 2019
6 x 75cl Bottle - £85 IB (£118 incl. VAT)
Saint Joseph Lou Taissou, 2019
6 x 75cl Bottle - £110 IB (£148 incl. VAT)
Saint Joseph les Sabots de Coppi, 2019
6 x 75cl Bottle - £115 IB (£154 incl. VAT)
2020
Vin de France Chasselas, 2020
6 x 75cl Bottle - £78 IB (£110 incl. VAT)
Vin de France Le Delire de Coppi Blanc, 2020
6 x 75cl Bottle - £88 IB (£122 incl. VAT)
Saint Joseph Rodeo Blanc, 2020
6 x 75cl Bottle - £112 IB (£150 incl. VAT)
Vin de France Gamay, 2020
6 x 75cl Bottle - £78 IB (£110 incl. VAT)
Vin de France Syrah La Maquerelle, 2020
6 x 75cl Bottle - £78 IB (£110 incl. VAT)
Vin de France Syrah Clos des Vaches, 2020
6 x 75cl Bottle - £88 IB (£122 incl. VAT)
Ask us to find out more about any of the above wines.
All stock available at Seckford for delivery right away
Carriage for UK mainland is £18 per delivery
All offered subject to final confirmation
Use the Button Below to Order
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