Lionel Faury 'Les Ribaudes' Saint-Joseph Rouge 2023

Available by special order. Stock is confirmed at the time of purchase; most orders arrive within 3–7 days.

Saint-Joseph is the northern Rhône's most versatile appellation, and the Les Ribaudes comes from its northern end near Chavanay, where granite terraces (the same parent material that defines Côte-Rôtie just upriver) produce a Syrah defined by fragrance and mineral precision rather than weight. Whole-cluster components, shorter macerations, and 12 months in neutral wood produce a 2023 of black pepper, tart cherry, spring flowers, and saline mineral depth that is harder to find than its price suggests.

Quick Facts

• Region: Saint-Joseph, Northern Rhône, France
• Variety: 100% Syrah
• Style: Dry, medium-bodied red; fragrant and mineral-driven with fresh acidity and soft tannins
• Best For: Burgundy drinkers exploring Syrah, dinner parties, weeknight reds
• ABV: 13%
• Farming: Lutte Raisonnée
• Winemaker: Lionel Faury

Why We Love It

Faury is among a small group of northern Rhône producers making Syrah at this price that is genuinely shaped by the site rather than the market. The deliberate use of shorter macerations and whole-cluster work produces a wine with lower alcohol and more freshness than most Saint-Josephs can manage. This is the Atelier pour that teaches the most about what granite does to Syrah.

Featured at our Rhône Valley Wine Atelier, May 2026.

Tasting Profile

Elegant and fragrant rather than heavy, with black pepper and spring flowers over tart dark fruit and a clean saline mineral finish.

• Aroma: Black pepper, tart cherry, violet, spring flowers, faint olive, smoky mineral
• Palate (Flavor): Dark cherry, raspberry, black plum, subtle olive, spice-tinged fruit
• Structure & Finish (Mouthfeel): Medium body, soft tannins, bright acidity, saline mineral finish with lingering pepper

Winemaking

Lionel Faury uses partial whole-cluster fermentation with shorter maceration times than traditional Saint-Joseph practice, a combination that preserves aromatic freshness and color without extracting harsh tannin. The wine ages 12 months in a rotation of foudres (24 to 35 hl), demi-muids (600 L), and 228-L barrels, with only 10% new oak in the rotation; the result is textural integration without oak influence dominating the wine's mineral character. Faury also retains more canopy leaf cover in warmer years to shade the fruit, which accounts directly for the wine's 13% ABV and the preservation of the bright acidity that allows the pepper, floral, and mineral notes to stay vivid. A lutte raisonnée farming approach, with no chemical herbicides or pesticides and responsive vineyard management, underpins the freshness and precision in the glass.

Serving & Pairing

Serve at 60-64°F.

A natural pour alongside grilled lamb chops, roasted chicken, duck breast, and hearty vegetable preparations including mushroom dishes and ratatouille. The wine's medium body and fresh acidity allow it to work across a wider range of contexts than heavier Northern Rhône reds.

Perfect For: Exploring the Northern Rhône, weeknight reds with character, dinner parties, gift for a Burgundy drinker exploring Syrah, outdoor entertaining

Drinking Window

Drinking well now through 2028 to 2030, with the granite-driven mineral structure suggesting additional savory complexity with two to three more years of cellaring.

Estate Overview

Lionel Faury represents the third generation of his family to make wine from the slopes above Chavanay, a village at the southern end of the Condrieu appellation. His father Philippe began bottling wine in 1979 and expanded the family's holdings; Lionel took over in 2006 and has continued that work while shifting the winemaking toward greater freshness, lower extraction, and a more precise expression of the granite terroir. The domaine sits within the northern corner of Saint-Joseph, where the soils and exposures align more closely with Côte-Rôtie and Condrieu than with the warmer southern stretches of the appellation. Faury is imported by Kermit Lynch, one of the most trusted conduits for artisan-scale Northern Rhône production in the American market. We carry Les Ribaudes because it is the most direct, affordable demonstration in our lineup of what granite-grown Northern Rhône Syrah actually looks and tastes like.

Terroir (Place)

Les Ribaudes is grown on steep south and southeast-facing terraces above Chavanay, with gradients reaching 35%, forcing vine roots deep into fractured granite for water and nutrients, concentrating flavors and producing the mineral-driven precision that defines this cuvée. The granite soils, with their low nutrient content and excellent drainage, naturally limit vine vigor and yield, producing smaller berries with more concentrated aromatics and a characteristic saline mineral quality in the finished wine. The northern location of Chavanay within the appellation places the vines at the cooler, more continental end of the Saint-Joseph range, which preserves the bright acidity and aromatic freshness that allow the wine's pepper, floral, and mineral notes to remain vivid. Vine age across the parcel ranges from 1976 to 2007 plantings, providing a mix of younger-vine aromatic brightness and older-vine structural depth in the final blend.