Unearthing the Northern Rhône
The hill of Hermitage
© Jimmy Hayes
Vines at Domaine Jean-Claude Marsanne
© Jimmy Hayes
Appellations of the Northern Rhône
©
“After the dizzying number of appellations in the south, the northern Rhône is easy. There are but a handful, including some of France’s noblest: Saint-Péray, Cornas, Saint-Joseph, Hermitage, Crozes-Hermitage, Condrieu, Château Grillet, and Côte-Rôtie. And in contrast to the numerous grape varieties permitted down south, the northern Rhône reds are the result of a single variety, the Syrah. One would think that a blend of grapes could create a more complex range of aromas and flavors than a lone variety, yet the Syrah juice eked out from one of those steep hillsides can produce wines of dazzling complexity, wines whose exotic aromas seem to shimmer and change like the flashes of color gleaming from a jewel.” —Kermit Lynch, Adventures on the Wine Route
The hill of Hermitage
© Jimmy Hayes
Vines at Domaine Jean-Claude Marsanne
© Jimmy Hayes
Appellations of the Northern Rhône
©
“After the dizzying number of appellations in the south, the northern Rhône is easy. There are but a handful, including some of France’s noblest: Saint-Péray, Cornas, Saint-Joseph, Hermitage, Crozes-Hermitage, Condrieu, Château Grillet, and Côte-Rôtie. And in contrast to the numerous grape varieties permitted down south, the northern Rhône reds are the result of a single variety, the Syrah. One would think that a blend of grapes could create a more complex range of aromas and flavors than a lone variety, yet the Syrah juice eked out from one of those steep hillsides can produce wines of dazzling complexity, wines whose exotic aromas seem to shimmer and change like the flashes of color gleaming from a jewel.” —Kermit Lynch, Adventures on the Wine Route
Unearthing the Northern Rhône
A collection featuring dozens of complex, soulful Syrahs and a smattering of aromatic blancs from our dedicated growers who toil these hallowed slopes.
Barruol / Lynch
Kermit spent years hunting for parcels around Crozes-Hermitage, Hermitage, and Côte-Rôtie. Thanks to pal Louis Barruol, he realized his grand vision of sourcing the absolute best raw materials, from which he blended this lineup of deep, provocative Syrahs.
Lionel Faury
Lionel’s house style leans in the direction of pure and fresh rather than brawny and brooding—he specializes in elegant reds with fine tannins, ample freshness, and mineral backbone. His ravishing yet refreshing whites feature kaleidoscopic aromatics.
Domaine Gallety
Halfway between the northern and southern Rhône, the Côtes du Vivarais offers the best of both worlds: Domaine Gallety’s rouge features equal parts of both regions’ starring grapes—Syrah and Grenache—and drinks like a sophisticated blend of Crozes-Hermitage with Gigondas.
Domaine Jolivet
Our newest addition to the portfolio, Bastien Jolivet is a young buck in this venerable land of legends. He’s hardworking in the vineyards and magisterial in the cellar, and has made a name for himself bottling terroir-driven Saint-Joseph in both colors from his family’s holdings on the steep granite slopes of Saint-Jean-de-Muzols.
Domaine Jean-Claude Marsanne
At this storied family-run domaine in Mauves, Jean-Claude and his two daughters craft textbook northern Rhône Syrahs redolent of tapenade, currants, pepper, and earth, in addition to two gorgeous single variety blancs—a Saint Joseph from pure Marsanne, and a gentle and peachy Viognier.
Wines In The Collection
Lionel Faury France | Northern Rhône
This beauty is brimming and bursting with deep dark flavors of black olive, blackberry and a hint of white pepper.
Lionel Faury France | Northern Rhône
The perfect lively, uncomplicated Syrah you’ll want to have over and over again.
Lionel Faury France | Northern Rhône
Most of this blanc was aged in tank to preserve freshness, but the little bit that was aged in oak provides a glimmer of opulence.
Lionel Faury France | Northern Rhône
Irresistible notes of black olive, succulent black cherries, and spices
Domaine Jolivet France | Northern Rhône
It is a real-deal northern Rhône roasted-slope Syrah that walks the tightrope perfectly between creamy fruit, meaty tannins, and fresh spine.
Domaine Gallety France | Northern Rhône
Aromas of black pepper, briny black olive, and violets with the earthiness, herbs, and concentration of southern Rhône Grenache.
Barruol / Lynch France | Northern Rhône
Layered and textural, this tightly bound opus will open and unfurl itself with time, be it an hour in a decanter or decades in the cellar.
Barruol / Lynch France | Northern Rhône
This juicy, blueberry-and-leather-infused Syrah with a long finish is ready to drink tonight.
Barruol / Lynch France | Northern Rhône
This cuvée is sourced exclusively from the Fongeant lieu-dit, which sits right on the border of the Côte Blonde and Côte Brune, and is renowned for sharing the best of both.
Barruol / Lynch France | Northern Rhône
From the classic aromas of graphite, black fruit, and roasted spice, to the total finesse of its tannins, this is Côte-Rôtie at its best.
Barruol / Lynch France | Northern Rhône
Elegance and restraint from one of the hill’s lesser-known terroirs.
Barruol / Lynch France | Northern Rhône
A thick perfume of dry-aged meat, smoke, and violets preface a wine that is powerful, but in perfect proportion.
Barruol / Lynch France | Northern Rhône
From vines that are more than eighty years old comes this Marsanne with magnificent floral, pit fruit, and bitter notes.
Jean-Claude Marsanne France | Northern Rhône
The violets, tapenade, and juicy black fruit in your glass is much unchanged from how it’s always been (and should be).
Jean-Claude Marsanne France | Northern Rhône
Like eating lemon curd at a party that Renoir might have painted—think something like Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette.
Barruol / Lynch France | Northern Rhône
Delicate and perfumed, it speaks softly, yet it has so much to say: lilies, bacon fat, spices... it could only be Côte Rôtie.
Domaine Monier France | Northern Rhône
From high-altitude slopes above the Rhône river, this Syrah exhibits remarkable purity and grace.
France | Northern Rhône
This beauty is brimming and bursting with deep dark flavors of black olive, blackberry and a hint of white pepper.
France | Northern Rhône
The perfect lively, uncomplicated Syrah you’ll want to have over and over again.
France | Northern Rhône
Most of this blanc was aged in tank to preserve freshness, but the little bit that was aged in oak provides a glimmer of opulence.
France | Northern Rhône
Irresistible notes of black olive, succulent black cherries, and spices
France | Northern Rhône
It is a real-deal northern Rhône roasted-slope Syrah that walks the tightrope perfectly between creamy fruit, meaty tannins, and fresh spine.
France | Northern Rhône
Aromas of black pepper, briny black olive, and violets with the earthiness, herbs, and concentration of southern Rhône Grenache.
France | Northern Rhône
Layered and textural, this tightly bound opus will open and unfurl itself with time, be it an hour in a decanter or decades in the cellar.
France | Northern Rhône
This juicy, blueberry-and-leather-infused Syrah with a long finish is ready to drink tonight.
France | Northern Rhône
This cuvée is sourced exclusively from the Fongeant lieu-dit, which sits right on the border of the Côte Blonde and Côte Brune, and is renowned for sharing the best of both.
France | Northern Rhône
From the classic aromas of graphite, black fruit, and roasted spice, to the total finesse of its tannins, this is Côte-Rôtie at its best.
France | Northern Rhône
Elegance and restraint from one of the hill’s lesser-known terroirs.
France | Northern Rhône
A thick perfume of dry-aged meat, smoke, and violets preface a wine that is powerful, but in perfect proportion.
France | Northern Rhône
From vines that are more than eighty years old comes this Marsanne with magnificent floral, pit fruit, and bitter notes.
France | Northern Rhône
The violets, tapenade, and juicy black fruit in your glass is much unchanged from how it’s always been (and should be).
France | Northern Rhône
Like eating lemon curd at a party that Renoir might have painted—think something like Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette.
France | Northern Rhône
Delicate and perfumed, it speaks softly, yet it has so much to say: lilies, bacon fat, spices... it could only be Côte Rôtie.
France | Northern Rhône
From high-altitude slopes above the Rhône river, this Syrah exhibits remarkable purity and grace.
More Collections
Coast to Coast on the Half Shell
Oysters, like wine, reflect their terroir. Those from the choppy, cold, and salty Atlantic have smooth, shallow shells. Their delicate, slightly translucent flesh is clean and crisp, with a refreshing burst of brine. The Pacific Ocean is gentler and more mild; its oysters are deep-cupped with scalloped edges, and the pearly, opaque flesh has a richer, creamy texture, with a kiss of melony sweetness...
Twenty Years of An Extraordinary Partnership in Chablis
Rewind twenty years to the birth of Domaine Costal, a singular collaboration between Chablis’s historic Collet family and Kermit, whose appetite for classic Chablis was—and still is—insatiable. As the story goes, Kermit asked vigneron Gilles Collet to separate a little juice from each harvest, age it the traditional way...
Welcome to the Aosta Valley
The mesmerizingly rugged valley is characterized by sheer cliffs on either side—tall, majestic granite peaks more fitting for mountain goats than vines. Incredibly, a precious few hectares of terraced vines cling to the hillsides, mostly to supply the locals with their daily sustenance. The overwhelming majority of the grape farmers here take their grapes to a local cooperative, so estate-bottled wine in this neck of the woods is one of the rarest of Italian wines...
An Iconic Family’s Most Approachable Wines
Over the last 130 years, as each new generation of the Brunier family has come of age, the elders have carved out a lane for the younger generation to grow and express themselves. In 1891, the original Henri Brunier purchased plots of the wooded, stony plateau in Châteauneuf-du-Pape known as La Crau for his son Hippolyte, who cleared parts of the land to plant his first vine stocks. Nearly a century later...
New Arrivals
Here is a collection of recent arrivals. Every week, we’ll be adding a dozen or more new arrivals, so check back often for your favorite classics or new discoveries!
The Carpe Vinum Collection
An ever-changing offering of wines that are just about to sell out; one last opportunity to seize a range of selections before they disappear from our shelves forever.
50th Anniversary Merchandise
When the esteemed French wine artist Michel Tolmer created beautiful artwork for our 50th anniversary, we knew right away that we had to feature it on a few select items of merch. After spending maybe a little too much time researching the options, we landed on a classy, leather-strap cap, a comfortable t-shirt made from 100% cotton, and a tote made with incredibly sturdy, fair-trade, and organic cotton by a certified B corp that invests in the livelihoods of women and farmers of India, featuring three wine sleeves and two other compartments for all of your other needs!
Recent Wine Club Selections
Our five wine clubs feature our best values from France and Italy as well as complex and cellar-worthy wines.