Domaine de l’Iserand – The Vertical Purity of Saint-Joseph
In the steep hills of Sécheras, in the northern Rhône, Jean-François Malsert tends his vines like a craftsman sculpting granite. His Domaine de l’Iserand , founded in 2011, is small, rugged, and quietly uncompromising — a few hectares of Syrah, Marsanne, and Roussanne clinging to schist and granite soils overlooking the Rhône Valley. Malsert farms organically and works with a mule on the most difficult slopes, following a rhythm closer to nature than to commerce. In the cellar, everything is gentle: indigenous yeasts, whole-cluster ferments, amphora, concrete, and minimal sulphur . The goal is purity and expression — wines that taste of where they come from, not what’s done to them. The reds, especially the Saint-Joseph “Les Sabots de Coppi” , are all about lifted fruit, pepper, and mineral tension rather than weight or extraction. The whites, like “Rodéo” , made from Marsanne and Roussanne, carry herbal notes, texture, and a quiet depth that lingers. 2023 Domaine de l'Iserand Sai...