Bastien Jolivet inherited the family domaine in 2014 from his father, who sold the grapes from their five hectares to the local cooperative in Tain. But Bastien set his sights higher, eager to turn the family’s holdings into domaine-bottled, terroir-driven Saint-Joseph. In only his first decade running the winery, Bastien expanded the property to 13 hectares in total, which he works organically. 

The winery sits at the base of a very steep and terraced hillside where many of his Saint-Joseph vines sit. Within the lieux-ditsLes Blaches and Palet, he farms four hectares on the slope and an additional three and a half of old vines at the bottom of the hill. Additionally, he has four hectares in Lemps, on a beautiful granite site at 350 meters above sea level in the lieux-ditsChanaud and Chave. Bastien uses these sites to make his Vin de France “Cuvée de Louis” wines.

In the rare moments when Jolivet is not outdoors tending his vines, he shows a magical touch in the cellar with both his whites and his reds. He has made huge strides since he began in 2014 and his wines are getting better every year. He is poised to be a rising star of the appellation.