Jean Esprit
France
Jean's Wines
- France
- 1Â wine
- 1Â style
Jean's cracking Crozes-Hermitage wines are some of the best quality and value you'll find in this part of the Northern Rhone
-
The Esprits have been growing grapes in their little pocket of the Northern Rhone since 1909, when Jean’s great-great-grandfather Joseph decided to lay down roots on some of the very best terroir in the entire Crozes-Hermitage appellation.
-
In 2017, after 5 generations and over 100 years of selling their top-notch grapes, Jean decided it was high time the family kept some for themselves. He built a brand new winery and cellar and that very same year the very first Domaine Jean Esprit wines were made.
-
Having tasted Jean’s kit, we reckon old grandpa Joseph would be mega-proud of what his great-great-grandson has achieved. His wines are silky yet decadent, fruity yet elegant, and showcase the incredible quality and incredible value you can find in this part of the Northern Rhone.
Vineyard Location
Jean Esprit's Story
Jean Esprit's Story
Domaine Jean Esprit is a family property dating from 1909, located on the 45th parallel, in the town of Pont de l'Isère, in Drôme. It consists of about 20 hectares of vines in the Crozes-Hermitage appellation which are located around the gravitational winery.
Founded in 1909 by Joseph Esprit on his return from the 4th Regiment of Zouaves where he was doing his military service, Joseph came down from his native Plat with his wife Maria and settled here on a small property.
In the North African countryside, he had time to appreciate the progress of local agriculture. As a visionary, he continued and developed the vine cultivation.
He was one of those who defended his country during the Great War, leaving his wife and his 9 year old daughter alone on the property. He had the good idea not to die.
On his return, Joseph went back to work and devoted the rest of his life to developing the Domaine by acquiring, one by one, neighbouring plots before passing away at the age of 94.
Since then, the Domaine has been passed down from generation to generation, with Marie and Marius, Jeannette and Maurice, Bernard and Michelle, until the arrival in 2017 of Jean, the 5th generation.
Now in his thirties, he developed his love of wine from an early age... something that was obvious to this son and grandson of wine growers who spent his childhood in the vineyards and cellars with his father Bernard.
So naturally, Jean studied viticulture and oenology in Beaune, then in Provence and the Languedoc. At the same time, he made his experience through several internships and jobs at different wineries and Domaines in the region and in the South of France as well as in New Zealand.
Back at the Domaine in 2017, he launched his project: to vinify the grapes from the family vineyard, sold until now, and so begin the production of wines under the name of the Domaine.
Jean had a gravitational cellar and an ageing cellar built that same year, and signed his first vintage.
