2021 · Saint-Joseph Rouge

Domaine François Merlin is a small, family-owned estate in Saint-Michel-sur-Rhône, founded in 1987 by first-generation winemaker François Merlin. The domaine farms vineyards in Côte-Rôtie, Saint-Joseph, Condrieu and Collines Rhodaniennes, with François still leading the winemaking and his son Laurent working in the vineyards. Grapes are hand-picked, and the estate is gradually moving toward organic viticulture. Its restrained approach includes reduced use of new oak and Austrian oak Stockinger demi-muids, with limited production focused on high-quality wines.