Pierre-Jean Villa’s luminous, mineral reds and textured yet energetic whites are among the highlights of Stannary’s Rhône portfolio. His range takes in Saint-Joseph, Crozes-Hermitage and Condrieu as well as Côte Rôtie, where P-J is one of a handful of vignerons to have acquired vines since this tiny (224 hectares) appellation’s reputation went stratospheric in the 1990s. He also produces two superb wines from prime parcels in the IGP Collines Rhodaniennes.
P-J worked at a series of Burgundian domaines, including Clos de Tart, before returning to his native Rhône to assist Yves Cuilleron, François Villard and Pierre Gaillard – three of the Northern Rhône’s most esteemed winemakers – with their project, Les Vins de Vienne.
Since establishing his own domaine in 2009, P-J has gradually expanded his holdings and sought ceaselessly to fine-tune his cellar craft. 2022 saw the inauguration of a new winery in Chavanay, and continuing experiments in agro-forestry, with new plantings of not only vines but fruit trees high in the hills (terrain designated Vin de France) overlooking the village.
Today’s offer features new releases from 2022 and 2021 – the ‘21s being the longer-aged cuvées. 2022 was a warm, generous and early-ripening vintage, but P-J credits the balance and moderate alcohol levels (13-13.5%) of his wines to rain on August 15th. 2021 posed greater challenges, with severe frost in April (the same wave that hit Burgundy and most of France) and heavy rain throughout the summer; the resulting crop was small, and the wines characterised by delicacy and mouth-watering acidity.
While the 2021 Côte Rôties are astounding in their concentration, detail, complexity and sheer sense of energy, every last one of Pierre-Jean’s wines comes highly recommended by the Stannary team: Primavera and Gamine – a white and red conceived for early drinking – are not to be overlooked. Volumes of the 2021s in particular are strictly limited, so please register your interest as soon as possible.
All the wines in the offer will ship in the coming weeks, landing in the UK by December 2023.