Growers / France / Rhône Valley / Northern Rhône / Etienne Bécheras
Etienne Becheras vineyard

Etienne Bécheras

With vineyards principally situated in the Saint-Joseph appellation, supplemented with limited but well-placed holdings in Crozes-Hermitage, Becheras’s wines are an excellent example of wines from this mid-section of the Northern Rhône and offer compelling value.

References in the archives of Montefalco, Etienne Becheras’s domaine is polycultural. It extends for 12 hectares principally within the confines of the village of Arras which borders and overlooks the Rhone River on the western side. The domaine farms organically. The five hectares situated on the flat lands along the Rhone are planted to cherry and apricot trees. Three are four hectares of vineyards which are planted on the limestone and gravel soils which mount in altitude and are on steep hillsides. The vineyards are placed on long terraces supported by hand-constructed stone walls. As a result, almost all work must be done by hand without the aid of mechanical implements. The remainder of the property is dedicated to forest where the ash and acacia trees are used as building and heating materials and offer the extra advantage of presenting ideal conditions for the growth of edible mushrooms and truffles!

Etienne Becheras in wine room textured background of grapevines

The four hectares of vineyards are within the appellation of Saint Joseph. Only 4/10ths of a hectare are planted to the white grapes of Marsanne and Roussanne, enough to produce about four to six barrels (1200 to 1500 bottles) per year. The remaining 3.6 hectares are planted to Syrah with the various plots situated in the neighboring villages of Arras and Vion. In addition, Bécheras exploits an additional one hectare of vines further south in the village of Mercurol. From this site, a small amount of Crozes Hermitage Rouge is produced.

Farming

Lutte Raisonnée

Treatments

Copper sulfate, synthetic treatments when necessary

Ploughing

Annual hoeing and working of the earth

Soils

Limestone-clay and granite

Vines

Planted at 6,000-7,000 vines/ha and ranging from 8 to 65 years old

Yields

Controlled through severe winter pruning, debudding, and an occasional green harvest, yields average c. 35-40 hl/ha

Harvest

Entirely manual, usually in mid-September

purchasing

Entirely estate fruit

Fermentation

Following total destemming, red wines ferment spontaneously in concrete vats. Cuvaison lasts 20-25 days. White wines ferment spontaneously in 225-l barrels

Extraction

White wines see regular bâtonnage. Red wines see pumpovers, punchdowns, and racks and returns during fermentation

Chaptalization

None

Pressing

Vertical basket press

Malolactic Fermentation

Spontaneous, in tank following alcoholic fermentation

Élevage

White wines spend 12 months in new 225-l barriques. Red wines spend 18 months in 225-l barriques

Lees

Wines remain on fine lees until assemblage prior to bottling

Fining and Filtration

All wines are unfined, red wines are unfiltered. White wines are plate filtered

Sulfur

Applied at bottling, with c. 15 mg/l free sulfur

Farming

Lutte Raisonnée

Treatments

Copper sulfate, synthetic treatments when necessary

Ploughing

Annual hoeing and working of the earth

Soils

Limestone-clay and granite

Vines

Planted at 6,000-7,000 vines/ha and ranging from 8 to 65 years old

Yields

Controlled through severe winter pruning, debudding, and an occasional green harvest, yields average c. 35-40 hl/ha

Harvest

Entirely manual, usually in mid-September

purchasing

Entirely estate fruit

Fermentation

Following total destemming, red wines ferment spontaneously in concrete vats. Cuvaison lasts 20-25 days. White wines ferment spontaneously in 225-l barrels

Extraction

White wines see regular bâtonnage. Red wines see pumpovers, punchdowns, and racks and returns during fermentation

Chaptalization

None

Pressing

Vertical basket press

Malolactic Fermentation

Spontaneous, in tank following alcoholic fermentation

Élevage

White wines spend 12 months in new 225-l barriques. Red wines spend 18 months in 225-l barriques

Lees

Wines remain on fine lees until assemblage prior to bottling

Fining and Filtration

All wines are unfined, red wines are unfiltered. White wines are plate filtered

Sulfur

Applied at bottling, with c. 15 mg/l free sulfur

Growers