Lionel Faury
Les Ribaudes Saint-Joseph Syrah
St. Joseph, Northern Rhône, Rhône, France
Presented to me double-blind. The wine pours a deep purple color with an opaque core and a magenta rim with little to no variation; medium viscosity with significant staining of the tears and no signs of sediment. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of slightly funky mixed brambles, purple flowers, black olive, cures meat, inorganic earth and a gentle mix of cool and warm spices. It’s like an adolescent Frenchman at a delicatessen eating a muffuletta sandwich. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium tannin and medium acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium+. The alcohol is medium.
Initial conclusions: this is a Syrah, Tempranillo, GSM-blend (with a heavy dose of Syrah), Merlot (or based blend), or maybe even a Malbec from France, Spain, the United States, Australia, Chile or Argentina. But I’m not getting pyrazines here, I’m getting rotundone. So I’m eliminating Bordeaux varieties. And, I’m getting so much rotundone that I’m eliminating Tempranillo too. Could this be a GSM? I don’t think so. The ABV seems more restrained and it’s hitting all the Syrah hallmarks from its cultural hearth so, I’m eliminating the New World. I’m taking this to France. It is practically screaming Northern Rhône and from a place that’s known for aromatics without the lavish use of oak (so Hermitage is out). It doesn’t have the feral qualities I generally associate with Cornas, nor the brilliant elegance I get from Côte Rôtie. So it comes down to Saint-Joseph or Croze-Hermitage and I like the former here. Final Conclusion: this is Syrah from France, from the Rhône, Saint-Joseph, from a warm, relatively recent vintage like 2020. How about that! A tasty fastball right down the middle of the plate! Drink now through 2037.
Presented to me double-blind. The wine pours a deep purple color with an opaque core and a magenta rim with little to no variation; medium viscosity with significant staining of the tears and no signs of sediment. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of slightly funky mixed brambles, purple flowers, black olive, cures meat, inorganic earth and a gentle mix of cool and warm spices. It’s like an adolescent Frenchman at a delicatessen eating a muffuletta sandwich. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium tannin and medium acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium+. The alcohol is medium.
Initial conclusions: this is a Syrah, Tempranillo, GSM-blend (with a heavy dose of Syrah), Merlot (or based blend), or maybe even a Malbec from France, Spain, the United States, Australia, Chile or Argentina. But I’m not getting pyrazines here, I’m getting rotundone. So I’m eliminating Bordeaux varieties. And, I’m getting so much rotundone that I’m eliminating Tempranillo too. Could this be a GSM? I don’t think so. The ABV seems more restrained and it’s hitting all the Syrah hallmarks from its cultural hearth so, I’m eliminating the New World. I’m taking this to France. It is practically screaming Northern Rhône and from a place that’s known for aromatics without the lavish use of oak (so Hermitage is out). It doesn’t have the feral qualities I generally associate with Cornas, nor the brilliant elegance I get from Côte Rôtie. So it comes down to Saint-Joseph or Croze-Hermitage and I like the former here. Final Conclusion: this is Syrah from France, from the Rhône, Saint-Joseph, from a warm, relatively recent vintage like 2020. How about that! A tasty fastball right down the middle of the plate! Drink now through 2037.
Earthy and floral on the nose, earthy notes follow on the palate. Fruit is present but takes a back seat, has a savory finish with soft, somewhat chalky tannins
Earthy and floral on the nose, earthy notes follow on the palate. Fruit is present but takes a back seat, has a savory finish with soft, somewhat chalky tannins
Mar 20th, 2025
