Domaine Yann Chave

Yann Chave took over the winery from his father Bernard in 1996 and began to move the winery away from supplying the local co-op and into the production of quality wine on an organic basis. Previously they had sold many of their grapes to negociants, but now he has moved towards domaine bottling 100% of their production. Today Yann is recognised as one of the most talented winemakers of the northern Rhone.

Today the domaine is certified organic across its 20 hectares which includes Hermitage and Crozes Hermitage (red and a small amount of white) with an average vine age of 25 years for the Hermitage and 20 years for the Crozes. Le Rouvre is a plot selection from the "Chassis" area located within Pont de l'Isère, where the domaine has its oldest vines (over 55 years old) on soils with lots of large, round pebbles. Yann’s emphasis is on ripeness and finesse with grapes being harvested by hand as late as possible and the use of large 600 litre casks in the top wines to give delicate oak character to the wines.