Domaine Faury, L'Art Zélé, IGP Collines Rhodaniennes, France, 2019

Overview of the Wine
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.

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.

Grape / Blend
Syrah

Origin
Northern Rhône, France

Winemaker's Tasting Notes
If 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. 

 Product size: 750ml