9

Rhône Valley

Northern Rhône


François Villard


François Villard Saint-Joseph ‘Mairlant’ 2020

Shiraz/Syrah | Saint-Joseph, France

Love the perfume here very complete long layered fine, dark and red fruit with brooding and stalk. Harmonious with subtle pepper pop. Excellent élévage, fine acid. Build in structure and mid-palate grip, giving energy. Playful fun.Excellent comparision with Hauts Châssis’ Saint-Joseph made with no whole bunches.Saturated violet color. Vibrant, spice-tinged dark berry, cherry, potpourri and licorice aromas are sharpened by a smoky mineral flourish. Fresh blackberry and bitter
$107
$102ea in any 3+
$97ea in any 6+

François Villard Saint-Joseph ‘Mairlant’ 2022

Shiraz/Syrah | Saint-Joseph, France

This is very good. Fruit development is excellent. Savoury, umami, red fruited with a lick of spice, the stalk tannin is of quality with a playful grip. Love to have this 5-7 years. Great drinking out of the gate. Tannins would love a little food. Long pure finish. Great shape and flow. Not at all heavy, elegant.Excellent comparision with Hauts Châssis’ Saint-Joseph made with no whole bunches.Saturated violet color. Vibrant, spice-tinged dark berry, cherry, potpourri and licori
$109
$104ea in any 3+
$99ea in any 6+
François Villard Côte-Rôtie 'Gallet Blanc' 2016
Museum Release

François Villard Côte-Rôtie ‘Gallet Blanc’ 2016

Shiraz/Syrah | Rhône Valley, Côte-Rôtie

Côte-Rôtie with incredible energy, definition, and intrigue. So many layers of pleasure. François is making stunning wine. From a 20 year old chef to a vigneron with over 30 years experience his wine wisdom shows. Stylistically you'll find great density in his Côte-Rôtie with fruit from the Northen half, the Côte-Brune coming from several Lieux Dits. The Côte-Brune is known to produce more masculine wines that the Côte-Blonde. The 2016 vintage shows a lovely, Classic, balance amongst the
$194
$187ea in any 3+
$180ea in any 6+

François Villard Côte-Rôtie ‘Gallet Blanc’ 2020

Shiraz/Syrah | Rhône Valley, Côte-Rôtie

Côte-Rôtie with incredible energy, definition, and intrigue. So many layers of pleasure. Personality+ this calls: Drink Me! Drink Me! Perfectly balanced, harmonious, seamless. It draws you in. Exceptional line and length and the tannins are so long, fine and even. Red and dark fruit a little licorice. So fine. Incredible complex savoury roasted barbecued vegetables & a line of earthiness. Perfume of Violets so long. A tiny splash of Viognier. This is exceptional. Would make a fantastic com
$194
$187ea in any 3+
$180ea in any 6+

François Villard Côte-Rôtie ‘Gallet Blanc’ 2022

Shiraz/Syrah | Rhône Valley, Côte-Rôtie

Deceptive intensity and depth on a transparent framework with superfine fruit of sophistication. A wonderful perfume lifts above. Delicate layers of complexing elements: spice, earthiness & woody herbs. Elegant & fine. Orange citrus & red fruit mingle seamlessly. Deftly developed showing the skilled touch Villard has.François looks at this wine as the Holy Grail! Delicious now, yet, with incredible ageing potential.François is making stunning wine. From a 20 year old chef t
$209
$199ea in any 3+
$189ea in any 6+


Domaine des Hauts Châssis


Domaine des Hauts Châssis Crozes Hermitage ‘Les Galets’ 2021

Shiraz/Syrah | Rhône Valley, Crozes-Hermitage

There's Crozes and then there's Crozes - Franck Faugier has made a cracker! Stunning Syrah 🍇 Perfume violets, draws you in with the depth and length of aroma. Beautiful integration finely spiced, with a earthy, seasoned wood from grape not oak rhubarb red fruit. Heart shape complete, beautifully weighted and sophisticated. Excellent drinking. Long fine delicious.Honest wines made by farmers of stone fruit & grapes with bloody good palatesGalets are pebbles, the vineyard is covered
$80
$76ea in any 3+
$72ea in any 6+
Excellent élévage yet so very tight. Graphite mineral thing. Long even tannins, fine vibrant red fruit fresh red cherry. Pure grape first Syrah with much more going on. Lovely shape.Longer finer feel compared with Villard’s Saint-Joseph that uses much more whole bunch. It’s a matter of preference and difference not necessarily quality between the two.More to come from both with a few years in bottle. Excellent Syrah!
$88
$84ea in any 3+
$80ea in any 6+

Filters & Sorting

Poise and shape. Perret’s Saint-Joseph has a drinkability about it that is so often lacking in the new world. Florals, on red and blue fruits with a bit of spice sit delicately on framework of tannins with a nice bit of mid-palate grip. Weightless yet full of flavour. A graceful Syrah. It’s fun now, there is no doubt that time will be kind helping it relax and show more perceived generosity.
$67
$64ea in any 3+
$61ea in any 6+

Domaine des Hauts Châssis Crozes Hermitage ‘Les Galets’ 2021

Shiraz/Syrah | Rhône Valley, Crozes-Hermitage

There's Crozes and then there's Crozes - Franck Faugier has made a cracker! Stunning Syrah 🍇 Perfume violets, draws you in with the depth and length of aroma. Beautiful integration finely spiced, with a earthy, seasoned wood from grape not oak rhubarb red fruit. Heart shape complete, beautifully weighted and sophisticated. Excellent drinking. Long fine delicious.Honest wines made by farmers of stone fruit & grapes with bloody good palatesGalets are pebbles, the vineyard is covered
$80
$76ea in any 3+
$72ea in any 6+
Excellent élévage yet so very tight. Graphite mineral thing. Long even tannins, fine vibrant red fruit fresh red cherry. Pure grape first Syrah with much more going on. Lovely shape.Longer finer feel compared with Villard’s Saint-Joseph that uses much more whole bunch. It’s a matter of preference and difference not necessarily quality between the two.More to come from both with a few years in bottle. Excellent Syrah!
$88
$84ea in any 3+
$80ea in any 6+

Auguste Clape “Le Vin des Amis” 2019

Shiraz/Syrah | Rhône Valley, Cornas

The least expensive, but still ageworthy, wine is the Le Vin des Amis, a blend of young-vine Cornas and Syrah grown just south of the village.
$105
$101ea in any 3+
$97ea in any 6+

François Villard Saint-Joseph ‘Mairlant’ 2020

Shiraz/Syrah | Saint-Joseph, France

Love the perfume here very complete long layered fine, dark and red fruit with brooding and stalk. Harmonious with subtle pepper pop. Excellent élévage, fine acid. Build in structure and mid-palate grip, giving energy. Playful fun.Excellent comparision with Hauts Châssis’ Saint-Joseph made with no whole bunches.Saturated violet color. Vibrant, spice-tinged dark berry, cherry, potpourri and licorice aromas are sharpened by a smoky mineral flourish. Fresh blackberry and bitter
$107
$102ea in any 3+
$97ea in any 6+

Auguste Clape “Le Vin des Amis” 2021

Shiraz/Syrah | Rhône Valley, Cornas

Glimmering violet color. Mineral-accented dark berries and licorice on the pungent, incisive nose. Offers gently sweet blackberry, blueberry and bitter cherry flavors that show very good clarity and spicy lift. A floral note appears on the nicely tannic, persistent finish, which features resonating cherry and black pepper notes.Josh Raynolds, Vinous 90-91 PointsThe least expensive, but still ageworthy, wine is the Le Vin des Amis, a blend of young-vine Cornas and Syrah grown just sou
$108
$103ea in any 3+
$98ea in any 6+

François Villard Saint-Joseph ‘Mairlant’ 2022

Shiraz/Syrah | Saint-Joseph, France

This is very good. Fruit development is excellent. Savoury, umami, red fruited with a lick of spice, the stalk tannin is of quality with a playful grip. Love to have this 5-7 years. Great drinking out of the gate. Tannins would love a little food. Long pure finish. Great shape and flow. Not at all heavy, elegant.Excellent comparision with Hauts Châssis’ Saint-Joseph made with no whole bunches.Saturated violet color. Vibrant, spice-tinged dark berry, cherry, potpourri and licori
$109
$104ea in any 3+
$99ea in any 6+

Eric et Joël Durand Cornas ‘Premices’ 2020

Shiraz/Syrah | Rhône Valley, Cornas

Fresh energetic with a silky flow. Vibrant with a delicate hand making for impressively fine tannins. Dark fruits spiced and thirst quenching. Refreshing with a fine acid profile. A little mineral graphite feel with a savoury edge. Delicious.“Saturated violet. A fragrant bouquet, evokes, dark berries, cherry and pungent flowers, along with hints of botanical herbs and black pepper. Sappy and penetrating on the pallet, offering bitter cherry, black raspberry, candied violet and spicecak
$110
$105ea in any 3+
$100ea in any 6+
Poise and shape. Perret’s Saint-Joseph has a drinkability about it that is so often lacking in the new world. Florals, on red and blue fruits with a bit of spice sit delicately on framework of tannins with a nice bit of mid-palate grip. Weightless yet full of flavour. A graceful Syrah. It’s fun now, there is no doubt that time will be kind helping it relax and show more perceived generosity.
$116
$111ea in any 3+
$106ea in any 6+

Auguste Clape Côtes du Rhône 2019

Shiraz/Syrah | Rhône Valley, Cornas

The Côtes du Rhône, is Clape's 3rd wine and includes fruit from 120-year-old vines near St. Peray and declassified Cornas.
$133
$128ea in any 3+
$123ea in any 6+

Eric et Joël Durand Cornas ‘Empreintes’ 2020

Shiraz/Syrah | Rhône Valley, Cornas

Building to show a step up in depth and length. A lick of cleverly used, integrated oak hiding behind the fruit will disappear completely with a little more time in bottle. The tannins show an edge more grip than the Premises in a good way. A bolder iteration with fruit driving the full length of the palate. A little mocha and orange peel with a pop of licorice on that same graphite mineral feel. This merits a decant when young.The 2020 Cornas Empreintes is slightly minty and herbal up f
$133
$128ea in any 3+
$123ea in any 6+

Auguste Clape Côtes du Rhône 2021

Shiraz/Syrah | Rhône Valley, Cornas

Saturated violet. An expressive bouquet evokes black and blue fruits and smoky bacon, along with suggestions of olive and pipe tobacco. Appealingly sweet, smoke- and spice-accented blackberry and cherry liqueur flavors show fine delineation and are braced by a spine of juicy acidity. A smoky mineral nuance builds with air and carries through a long, youthfully gripping finish that echoes the olive and spice notes.Josh Raynolds, Vinous 90-91 PointsThe Côtes du Rhône, is Clape's 3rd
$135
$130ea in any 3+
$125ea in any 6+