Pierre-Jean Villa

Pierre-Jean Villa made his name in the early 2000s when he teamed up with Condrieu guru, Yves Cuilleron, to run the innovative Vins de Vienne operation. Previously he had been working at Clos de Tart in Morey-St-Denis in Burgundy, which perhaps explains his love of fine tannins and elegant wines. In 2009, Pierre-Jean went solo, buying vineyards in the heart of the northern Rhône and creating a domaine in his own name.

Based in Chavanay, he has various plots planted close by on soils that allow his love of minerality and finesse to shine through. St Joseph is a huge appellation of varying styles, and PJ’s ‘Préface’ is as far away from the four-square examples as you can imagine. Planted on light soil of schist and gneiss on a granite base, the two hectares produce fine juice that is aged in 600-litre barrels (no new oak here) and is bottled unfined and unfiltered.

This is one of the most exciting domaines in the northern Rhône and offers utterly classic but dynamic examples of its wines.