Domaine Romaneaux-Destezet (Hervé Souhaut)

Quick Facts

  • Location: Arlebosc, in the Ardèche hills above Saint-Joseph in the Northern Rhône 
  • Owner & Winemaker: Hervé and Béatrice Souhaut
  • Vineyard sites: Two sites, one in the Saint-Joseph appellation (Saint-Jean de Muzols) on the Saint-Épine slopes; and one next to the winery in what is officially the Ardèche / Doux Valley.
  • Vineyard area: 5 hectares farmed by Hervé and his team
  • Age of vines: Old and ancient vines (Saint-Jean de Muzols 40-80 years old; Doux Valley up to 100 years old). Hervé and Béatrice also planted white varieties and Gamay.
  • Vineyard management: Organic farming, Biodynamic principles
  • Main varieties: Syrah, Gamay, Roussanne, Viognier
  • Soils: Decomposed acidic granite
  • Winemaking: Minimal intervention

Fun Facts

  • “Life is returning to the vineyards”: Hervé and Béatrice have worked organically since they first took over the vineyards, and they’ve noticed the impact. Each year they sow meadow flowers around the vines for the benefit of bees and other insects, who have returned in droves. Their land is also home to almond trees, wild boars, and deer. 
  • Change of course: Hervé started out in veterinary school and biology studies before re-directing his passion into wines that reflect the singularity of the vineyards’ soil.
  • Age and diversity: Souhaut’s Saint-Joseph vines are 70-80 years old, dating back to a time when grafting was done by massal selection. Besides the power of old vines, this means that he works with widely diverse strains of each variety.
  • Preserving ancient varieties: Says Hervé, “Our Doubs vineyard is so old that we found Dureza plants, which is an old Ardèchois variety and an ancestor of Syrah. We’re lucky enough to have them growing naturally on ancient vines, but just a few plants — so we’re trying to multiply them to preserve this heritage.”

 

Hervé Souhaut created Domaine Romaneaux-Destezet with his wife Béatrice in 1993, where he works 5 hectares of historic vines just opposite the storied hills of Crozes Hermitage. Inherited from Béatrice’s winegrower ancestors, the estate occupies the site of  Les Romaneaux, a 16th century fortified farm. Their philosophy: to produce wines with exceptional integrity of site-specific terroir and old-vine fruit.

“From the beginning, I was involved in this movement to return to natural winemaking methods,” says Hervé, who during university in Valenciennes found himself in the friendly company of the likes of Philippe Pacalet and Marcel Lapierre. “I was studying to be a veterinarian, and then I studied biology, which led me a bit into biochemistry. So during my studies I was always involved in wine.”

Led by the feeling that he’d found something worth exploring, Hervé began to work in natural cellars in the Northern Rhône where he also made his own first vintages. For him, the period of discovery marked a revelation. “I met winemakers who made me feel. I sensed something was happening,” Hervé recalls. “They immersed me, you could say, in these wines that were out of the ordinary.”

“I think what I discovered was balance. These wines were so different from the others: there was harmony in the structures, and just a feeling. In fact, it’s a return to basics, to the origins of lower-intervention winemaking. Great wines have always been made in a fairly simple way, and that’s why I’m so passionate about it.”

The move to Northern Ardèche happened naturally: here Hervé and his wife Béatrice had the opportunity to return to her family’s property, which they spent the next years restoring from the ground up. But Hervé was also keen on the region’s unique, decomposed granite soil, which he’d learned could produce — when farmed well — powerful identity in a wine. 

In a glass of Souhaut wine, one might find the perfect balance between modern, expressive winemaking and refined tradition. “Really in our way of working,” says Hervé, “there isn’t that much experimentation. In my opinion, that’s the future: wines that aren’t unconventional, but that are made with minimal intervention and reveal their terroir.” In service to the parcels themselves, Hervé makes his decisions in the cellar to maximize soil expression; the technical process is consistent across his wines so as to highlight their terroir-driven differences.

In practical terms, that means foregoing sulfur and selected yeast during vinification and limiting the use of methods like carbonic maceration that “standardize” the fruit. Instead, Souhaut does a maximum of one week of semi-carbonic maceration, followed by a longer traditional maceration that gives the wine its essence and power. To achieve a gentle extraction, which Souhaut believes is more respectful of the grapes, the team works with whole bunches, slow fermentations, and very little pumping-over. Pigeage or punch-downs are done by gently pushing down the cap of each tank, a method that’s only possible for those who work with small vessels.

When asked whether his background in biochemistry influences his work, Hervé shakes his head. “Making good wine is above all a philosophy, a know-how more than actual knowledge. What mainly influenced me were encounters with biologists who worked in wine and understood the soil. Oenologists are often taught to intervene, to modify, and in fact to make good wine you have to let nature take its course. More than chemistry, it’s something that comes from the land.”

By that token, Hervé works his vineyards organically and with minimal machinery — in fact, this year they plan to introduce a horse-drawn plow. To strengthen their vines against the challenges of climate change, the team sows plants in the winter to act as green manure, providing extra nutrients and helping the vines resist disease. They’ve adapted their plowing and pruning schedule to help the soil retain more moisture and bring more cool breeze to the grapes. And they’ve begun to replace modern cloning with traditional sélection massale, creating new plants from old vines that have grown well. 

Everything to preserve the wine’s tension and character, says Hervé: “in terms of acidity; in terms of freshness. And we’re always adapting creatively and logistically, adapting our harvests and the way we work with the wine, to maintain that balance.”

 

La Souteronne: — Back to the top

Grapes: Gamay

Vineyard: 50 to 80 year-old, non-clone vines on granite. A blend of grapes from 8 sites (4 hectares in total) in the communes of Arlebosc, Empurany and Colombier le Vieux, in the Vallée du Doux, all estate-owned. Soil preparation and farming is done 100% by hand without machinery or chemicals.

Making of: Grapes are hand-harvested and sorted in the vineyard, then left as whole bunches (no de-stemming) for spontaneous fermentation and long maceration at low temperature. The grapes are regularly punched down without any pump-overs. Once pressed, the wine is aged on fine lees in secondhand oak casks and stainless steel tanks. The wine is bottled without filtration or fining, with 25 mg/L of SO2.

Making of (2024): Wine is racked just once before bottling, as a mild filtration. 

Personality: Nearly purple in the glass with a garnet rim. The nose is an enticing array of strawberry, black cherry, plum, fig paste, smoky herbs and pounded stones. Buoyant black fruit dominates the palate and is followed by pretty red berry tones, and minerality. The granite soil evokes something very familiar and Beaujolais-like, while cloaked under the influence of the Northern Rhone, suggesting the more dark and bacon-y tendencies of Syrah from this area.

Saint Epine: — Back to the top

Grapes: Syrah

Vineyard: The Saint Epine vineyard is located right behind Hervé and Beatrice Souhaut’s house in the village of Tourney. It lies on an extremely steep slope that is terraced with old rock walls. 100(+) year-old non-cloned vines on Schist soil. 

Vinification Method: Grapes are hand-harvested and undergo a very long maceration at a low temperature—without de-stemming. The wine is fermented in wooden tanks and aged on fine lees in second-hand oak casks. The wine is bottled without filtration. The wine has a total SO2 of only 25mg/L.

Personality: The nose shows an explosion of spices, with notes of orange, anise and violets also being present. Baking spices carry on to a mineral-based palate where they meet red cherries and a big dose of black pepper. Great acidity gives the wine plenty of lift and leads to a long mineral and pepper finish.

2025: An earlier harvest season made this vintage “concentrated yet balanced,” says Hervé, with exceptional aging potential.

Pairing: Lamb shoulder, prime rib or a porterhouse steak.

Saint Joseph: — Back to the top

Saint Joseph tech sheet

Grapes: Syrah

Vineyard: Hervé’s St Joseph vineyard is located high up on the slope of St. Joseph, one of the better sites among the appellation. From these vines, one can clearly view the fabled Hermitage slope, which shares very similar soil, slope, and soil characteristics with this vineyard. 10-100 year-old vines on Schist soil. 

Vinification Method: Grapes are hand-harvested and undergo a very long maceration at a low temperature—without destemming. The wine is fermented in wooden tanks and aged on fine lees in second-hand oak casks for eight months. The wine is bottled without filtration. The wine has a total SO2 of only 25mg/L.

Personality: Violets, bacon fat and black cherry all interplay on the nose. Deep black cherry and juicy plum flavors meshed with candied violets and cool strawberry flavors on the palate. The moderate tannins highlight the fruity components on the finish.

Pairing: Leg of lamb, grilled beef, roast pork, pan seared veal chops, aged cheeses, braised rabbit, pan seared duck breast, rabbit paté on rustic bread.

Syrah: — Back to the top

Grapes: Syrah

Vineyard: 30-80 year old vines, spread across 2 parcels (3 hectares) of granitic soil in the communes of Arlebosc and Colombier le Vieux, in the Vallée du Doux. 

Vinification Method: Grapes are hand-harvested and undergo a very long maceration at a low temperature—without destemming. The grapes undergo regular punch downs, without any pump overs. The wine is fermented in wooden tanks and aged on fine lees in second-hand oak casks for eight months. The wine is bottled without filtration. The wine has a total SO2 of only 25mg/L.

Personality: Violets, bacon fat and black cherry all interplay on the nose. Deep black cherry and juicy plum flavors meshed with candied violets and cool strawberry flavors on the palate. The moderate tannins highlight the fruity components on the finish.

2025: An earlier harvest season made this vintage “balanced and highly elegant,” says Hervé.

Pairing: Ideal with squab, Cornish game hen, roasted chicken or roast pork, grilled beef or lamb.

Domaine Romaneaux-Destezet: — Back to the top

Romaneaux Viognier/Roussanne tech sheet

Grapes: 60% Viognier, 40% Roussanne 

Vineyard: Planted by Hervé in 1993 in the commune of Arlebosc, in the Vallée du Doux, all estate-owned. Cordon de Royat pruning method on granite soils. 

Vinification Method: Grapes are hand-harvested and direct presssed. The wine is fermented in wooden tanks and aged on fine lees in second-hand oak casks for eight months. The wine is bottled without filtration. Small amount of SO2 at bottling depending on the vintage. 

Personality: Golden straw in the glass with lovely scents of white flowers, tropical fruit, wet stones and notes of oak. The palate is supple with loads of pear and fig flavors that are backed by elegant mineral notes. Moderate acidity, apple preserves and a warm note of oak lingers on the finish.

2025: An earlier harvest season gives this vintage “lovely freshness for a Viognier/Roussanne,” says Hervé, that offers richness without excess.

Pairing: Seared sea scallops, lobster, stewed fish dishes, creamy chicken, pasta dishes, roasted vegetables and hearty garden salads.

Cessieux: Saint Joseph

Cessieux: Saint Joseph tech sheet

A new cuvée from vines that Beatrice’s grandfather owns (along with all the other vines). But around 25 years ago, before he knew Hervé wanted to make wines, he rented that parcel out with a 25-year lease. The vines were planted back then from clonal selection (as opposed to massale, or non-clone, for the rest of the vines). These vines weren’t worked organically until Hervé got the vines back in 2013. Herve says the soil in St Joseph is very rocky with very little soft soil that retains chemicals, so he thinks the chemicals have now washed out of the parcel.

Grapes: Syrah

Vineyard: Le Clos des Cessieux, a helical-shaped lieu-dit situated in St-Jean de Muzols, the cradle of the Saint Joseph appellation. 32 year-old vines on granitic soil.

Vinification: Grapes are hand-harvested and vinified traditionally, without destemming. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel vats for nearly 3 weeks, with punch-downs and daily foot treading. Aged on the lees in second-hand Burgundy barrels for 8 months. Bottled unfined, unfiltered, with a small amount of SO2 added at bottling depending on the vintage. 

Personality: Les Cessieux is a study of Hervé’s use of finesse in what would traditionally have made a powerful and brooding wine. The classic elements of Northern Rhone Syrah, dark red fruits and savory elements of bacon fat are present, but they are subtle in comparison with the floral aromas jumping out of the glass. Les Cessieux is Hervé’s most exuberant — one might say hedonistic — wine.

Les Marécos Blanc 

Grapes: 50% Marsanne/ 50% Rousanne

Vineyard: 6-year-old vines spread across 1.2 hectares of granite soils in IGP Collines Rhodanniennes, at 300 meters of altitude. 

Vinification notes: Grapes are hand harvested and destemmed. The juice ferments in 228-liter 3-year-old barrels for 6-7 weeks with indigenous yeast only. The wine rests in barrel for 8 months of elevage, and is bottled unfiltered, unfined, and with a small addition of sulfur.

Les Marécos Rouge 

Les Marécos Rouge tech sheet

Grapes: 25% Merlot, 75% Syrah

Vineyard: 6-year-old vines spread across 0.8 hectares of granite soils in IGP Collines Rhodanniennes, at 300 meters of altitude. 

Vinification notes: Grapes are hand-harvested and whole bunches are fermented semi-carbonically in stainless steel and fiberglass tanks for about 3 weeks with only indigenous yeast. The wine rests in barrel for 8 months of elevage and is bottled unfiltered, unfined, with a small addition of sulfur.

Le Petit Merle Ardéchois

souhaut petitmerleGrapes: Merlot

Vineyard: Souhaut’s recent small plantation in d’Arlebosc, Vallée du Doux, 0.3ha of young vines (5yrs on average) at 450 meters of altitude with south/south-east exposure on Granite soil. 

Vinification Notes: the grapes are hand-harvested and sorted, then fermented as whole bunches at cool temperature using only indigenous yeasts, with regular punch-downs, but no pumping over. The wine is then aged in old French oak barrels and bottled unfined, unfiltered with 25 ppm of sulfur.