Le Grande Pompée is a 9th century character from Victor Hugo’s The Legend of the Ages who fought alongside Charlemagne and loved a wine from the slopes of the right bank of the Rhône. Saint-Joseph is an appellation on the right bank with steep hillsides that were carved into terraces in ancient times. The 10- to 30-year-old Syrah vines for this wine are planted in granite and schist soils on a South-East facing slope. This soil type grows Syrah that brings density and texture to the wine. The grapes are hand-harvested, destemmed, and fermented. The maceration lasts three weeks with daily pump overs. The wine is then aged for 12 months in tronconic (truncated cone-shaped) French oak vats. These truncated vats allow for more reductive ageing which preserves the fruity aromas of the wine. Potential to age up to 10 years.