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2020 Collines Rhodaniennes Syrah “l’Art Zélé”
Lionel FauryIf you want to experience the classic flavors of northern Rhône Syrah, then here is a textbook example. Velvety black fruit coats the palate like a fine pulp, while sensations of cracked pepper and pulverized schist stone provide an incisive, mouth-watering precision that can only be achieved from cool-climate Syrah planted in thin, rocky soil.
The soil in question is mica-schist situated just outside the boundaries of the Côte-Rôtie appellation, in a parcel above Ampuis called l’Arsélie. Unable to blend the fruit into his Côte-Rôtie, Lionel Faury has bottled this cuvée—whose name, a pun on the vineyard site, translates roughly to “zealous art”—separately since its inception nearly ten years ago. Now approaching twenty years of age, the vines have their roots firmly entrenched in these rocky soils, resulting in a wine with the depth, nuanced aromatics, and milled-stone minerality of great Côte-Rôtie—all while maintaining inviting youthful fruit.
Fermented with roughly 50% whole clusters and bottled by gravity without filtration, this cuvée conveys the lifted spice, savory, and floral elements that we love about traditional northern Rhône reds. Lionel allows the terroir to express itself to its fullest, making this an ideal point of entry to experience authentic Côte-Rôtie—even if officially speaking, it isn’t Côte-Rôtie at all.
—Anthony Lynch
Wine Type: | red |
Vintage: | 2020 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Syrah |
Appellation: | Collines Rhodaniennes |
Country: | France |
Region: | Northern Rhône |
Producer: | Lionel Faury |
Winemaker: | Lionel Faury |
Vineyard: | Planted 1993; .75 ha |
Soil: | Schist |
Aging: | Aged for 15 months in 5 to 15 year-old demi-muid |
Farming: | Lutte Raisonnée |
Alcohol: | 14.5% |
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About The Producer
Lionel Faury
Along the steep, narrow valley that traces the northern Rhône, the appellations of Côte-Rôtie, Condrieu and Saint-Joseph take their place among the great wines of France, and Domaine Faury is one of the region’s most artisanal producers. When Philippe Faury took over the domaine in 1979, the family was selling wine, peaches and cherries, and the bulk of their clientele was local. Over the years, Philippe increased their holdings to over 11 hectares and began to sell internationally. He shared his savoir faire with his son, Lionel. Since 2006, Lionel has taken over the reins, though father and son still work side by side. Every method they use encourages the grape towards greatness with the ultimate respect for its fragility.
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Where the newsletter started
Where the newsletter started
Every three or four months I would send my clients a cheaply made list of my inventory, but it began to dawn on me that business did not pick up afterwards. It occurred to me that my clientele might not know what Château Grillet is, either. One month in 1974 I had an especially esoteric collection of wines arriving, so I decided to put a short explanation about each wine into my price list, to try and let my clients know what to expect when they uncorked a bottle. The day after I mailed that brochure, people showed up at the shop, and that is how these little propaganda pieces for fine wine were born.—Kermit Lynch