2021 SAINT-JOSEPH, La Gloriette, Lionel Faury. Northern Rhône

Saint-Joseph is the least well known appellation in the northern Rhône. It is spread rather loosely over fifty kilometres of the river, so has little geographical or stylistic cohesion. Some are light, aromatic wines, comparable to Crozes Hermitage, others are powerful wines more in the style of Hermitage itself.

Lionel Faury’s estate is in the hamlet of Ribaudy, near Chavanay. In 2006 he took over from his father Philippe, who was the first in the family to bottle the wine himself, rather than sell it in bulk.  La Gloriette is a single north-facing vineyard, the vines averaging 50 years old and always producing concentrated, long-lived wines.

Still young, this will be at its best from 2024.