The red is produced predominantly from the Syrah grape, but AOC regulations allow up to 10% of Marsanne or Roussanne.

Originally known as Vin de Mauves and mentioned in Victor Hugo's Les Misérables, the wine from St.-Joseph was a favourite in the French court of Louis XII (1498–1515)[citation needed] who owned a vineyard in St.-Joseph known as Clos de Tournon.

Originally it was a wine based on pure Syrah, but since 1979 it has been permitted to include as much as 10% white grapes.

Winters are wet and marked by the cold le mistral winds that can last into the Spring.

[2] The classic part of the appellation begins in the south around the villages Mauves and Tournon.