Domaine Emmanuel Darnaud

Enthusiastic Emmanuel produces polished, generous wines at his winery in La Roche de Glun, sitting on a peninsular which cleaves the Rhône river. His focus is displaying individual expressions of each parcel. They are picked and vinified separately before being placed in wooden casks, vats or larger demi-muids to continue their élevage. His Les Trois Chênes cuvée is made from only 20% of the whole crop of 25- to 60-year-old vines. His Au Fil de Temps cuvée is only made in certain years, from two plots in a single lieu-dit, Les Saviaux. Emmanuel is particularly fond of this parcel. Its deeper soils of galet stones and less clay lend a mineral element to the wine meaning “less volume but more tension”.

Additional to making impressive wines in Crozes-Hermitage, Emmanuel owns 1.7 hectares of 30- to 80-year-old, southeast facing vines on granitic soil in St Joseph ‒ the source of his stunning lieu-dit cuvée La Dardouille, meaning “to sun oneself”.