Maison Stephan

The History of Maison Stéphan

Jean-Michel Stéphan comes from a family of market gardeners and fruit growers, on both his father's and his great-grandfather's side. His passion for the vine took hold early: at fourteen, he was already planting a hectare with his father. After attending an agricultural school in Beaujolais, he went to work at the Domaine des Terres Dorées, with Jean-Paul Brun — a founding experience that left a lasting mark on him and introduced him to the world of wines made without additives.

In 1991, still very young, he settled in Tupin-et-Semons and established his estate with two to three hectares of AOC Côte-Rôtie, including some very old vines. In the early years, all the grapes went to the local négociants. He replanted Syrah, notably his Côte Brune plot in 1994, the year his first bottles were also released. The decisive turning point came in 1997: after his encounters with Yvon Métras and Marcel Lapierre, he definitively stopped adding sulfur to his wines. It would take him several years and a few missteps to master this high-risk style, but the result has made him today one of the recognized masters of natural winemaking in the northern Rhône Valley. In 2017, his son Romain joined him: together they founded Maison Stéphan and planted five additional hectares outside the appellation, in Roussillon, Vérin, Condrieu, Ampuis, and Chasse-sur-Rhône. In 2022, his second son Dorian in turn joined the family estate. 

Terroirs and Vines of Maison Stéphan

The estate cultivates approximately five hectares in Côte-Rôtie, spread across three sectors: the Coteaux de Bassenon, the Coteaux de Tupin, and a tiny thirty-are plot in Côte Brune. The soils are composed of gneiss and granite, on steep slopes arranged in terraces, with schist on the Côte Brune plot. The extreme topography demands heroic viticulture and creates a singular microclimate: the south- and southeast-facing terraces act as natural solar collectors, while cool currents from the north ensure balanced ripening.

The true wealth of the vineyard lies in its plant material. Sérine, an old variety related to Syrah found almost exclusively around Côte-Rôtie, represents a significant portion of the plantings. Its yields are lower, but its quality is incomparable: it produces wines that are finer, fuller, and above all far more complex than clonal Syrah. Some vines at Bassenon were planted in 1896. Viognier completes the blends, while Roussanne and Marsanne, planted on the recent plots outside the appellation, are used for the house's white wines. The estate is certified in organic farming and most of the plots are managed biodynamically. Plowing is done with a horse where the slope allows, everything else by hand.

Winemaking at Maison Stéphan

Each plot is vinified separately, with no addition of yeasts, enzymes, or SO2. The grapes are cooled at the start of vatting for a four-day cold pre-fermentation maceration. With climate change, Jean-Michel Stéphan has stopped systematically vinifying by carbonic maceration and with whole clusters: most cuvées are now destemmed and worked as whole berries, with the exception of So'Brune, the only one to retain traditional carbonic maceration.

Macerations last a maximum of three weeks and lean more toward infusion than extraction, with no pigeage whatsoever and just one pump-over per day. Aging varies according to the cuvée: twelve months in stainless steel tanks for the most fruit-forward, twelve to twenty-four months in old barrels of fifteen to twenty years of age for the single-vineyard selections. The wines are neither fined nor filtered and are bottled without added sulfites. This approach, inspired by the work of Jules Chauvet and the AVN charter, aims for maximum digestibility and preserved aromatic complexity. The result yields Côte-Rôties of striking purity, showcasing fruit, minerality, and sap, with an aging potential that often surprises enthusiasts.

The Cuvées of Maison Stéphan

Côte-Rôtie Les Binardes: the entry-level cuvée of the estate, sourced from magnificent plots located at the foot of the Tupin hillside. Planted with 90% Syrah and 10% Viognier, it is entirely destemmed with the exception of the Viogniers, macerated for three weeks by infusion without pigeage, then aged twelve months in stainless steel tanks. The fruit is vibrant, the structure supple, the drinkability formidable. A Côte-Rôtie of immediate pleasure that sacrifices nothing in terms of precision.

Côte-Rôtie Coteaux de Bassenon: born from the southernmost hillside of the appellation, facing the Condrieu vineyard, it brings together the estate's oldest vines — Sérines planted in 1896 that account for approximately 40% of the blend — complemented by 40% Syrah and 20% Viognier. Three weeks of vatting with destemmed grapes, followed by twenty-four months of aging in old neutral barrels. An explosive nose of generous black fruits mingled with licorice, a precise mineral imprint on the finish, with remarkable depth and length.

Côte-Rôtie Coteau de Tupin: sourced 100% from Sérine planted between 1941 and 1997, on a southwest-facing exposure that makes it the richest and most concentrated cuvée in the range. Three weeks of vatting, twenty-four months in old barrels, no filtration, and zero added sulfur. A complex bouquet of ripe black fruits, smoked meat, and licorice; a sapid and penetrating palate of blackcurrant, black cherry, and a hint of game; a long, smoky finish with gripping tannins and a fine mineral backbone.

Côte-Rôtie So'Brune: the estate's rarest wine, sourced from a plot of just thirty ares, planted by Jean-Michel Stéphan in 1994 on the schistous soils of the mythical Côte Brune. Its grapes were sold to major houses until 2015, the year of the first in-house vinification. A traditional blend of 80% Syrah and 20% Viognier, it is the only cuvée still produced by whole-cluster carbonic maceration, with twelve months of aging in barrels. An elusive bottle, very rarely seen.

Côte-Rôtie: the house's blended cuvée, bringing together the grapes from Les Binardes, the Coteau de Tupin, the Coteau de Bassenon, and So'Brune. It offers a synthetic overview of the estate's various granitic terroirs, combining power and elegance, and represents an excellent introduction to the Stéphan style.

Cuvée 36: produced only in vintages deemed exceptional by the winemaker, it represents the qualitative pinnacle of the house. Highly confidential and sought-after, it appears on the market only rarely.

Condrieu: the Viognier from Maison Stéphan, vinified with the same exacting standards as the reds and without added sulfites. A delicate alchemy between aromatic finesse and richness on the palate, with notes of apricot, white flowers, and a salinity that keeps the wine in tension.

La Syrah, Vin de France: a cuvée produced from plots planted near the appellation, in Roussillon, Vérin, Ampuis, or Chasse-sur-Rhône. Crunchy, peppery, and indulgent, it offers a way to discover the estate's signature style at a more accessible price.

Le Grand Blanc, Vin de France: a blend dominated by Roussanne, complemented by Marsanne and Viognier, sourced from young plantings established with Romain Stéphan. A full-bodied and textured white, with no added sulfur, combining sunny richness with a fresh finish.