"The consistently excellent work of Lionel Faury has begun to pay off, at least in the United States, where his wines have increasingly become part of any discussion about the best wines of the Northern Rhône."
—Josh Raynolds, Vinous

Every year we rave about Faury, and every year we worry it will be the last chance we have to offer the wines to the whole list. An insider's secret not too long ago, these are now much harder to get — not surprising given press like the Josh Raynolds quote above.

Everything about Faury is just right. The terroir is amazing. If you get the chance to visit the family domaine, you'll climb a steep road up from the Rhône river to a land of stone terraces, old vines and stunning views. The wines convey a similar sense of — sometimes vertiginous — perspective in space and time. You get everything Northern Rhône wines have to offer: smokey, meaty, olivey notes; elegant, floral overtones; a delicious mix of berried fruit and minerality.

What really sets these wines apart is their lovely sense of ease. As the great Northern Rhone writer, John Livingstone-Learmonth wrote of the 2021 Côte-Rôtie, "It doesn’t aspire to be more than it can be." In this respect, it reminds us of the old school legends of the Northern Rhône, with layers and levels of flavor and texture (check out Raynolds descriptions below), but no over-extraction, over-oaking, pushing of any sort.

The top wines are long-lived collectibles and we're thrilled to be able to offer both Côte-Rôties here. But Faury's wines are extraordinary up and down the lineup. We've enjoyed 10+ year old bottles of Saint-Joseph, and the Vieilles Vignes cuvée gets rave reviews, like Josh Raynolds': "My standout wine from Lionel Faury this year was the Saint-Joseph Vieilles Vignes, one of the benchmarks for the appellation...the Saint-Joseph Vieilles Vignes can rival many a wine from more vaunted appellations, regardless of vintage. The 2020 is a stunner, but I would be happy to drink some of the 2019s, or the 2018s, the 2017s…pretty much any of them."

The 2020 is, of course, long sold out. But 2021 is another amazing vintage — just as highly rated by JLL, for instance, and if anything even more filigreed. We think we have enough to be able to satisfy all requests, but like we mentioned at the top...these wines move fast!

Domaine Faury, Saint-Joseph Vieilles Vignes, 2021 $61.99
"Glass-staining ruby. A bright mineral overtone complements expansive blackberry, smoky bacon, olive and potpourri aromas. Sweet and broad on the palate, offering concentrated black and blue fruit, salty olive and floral pastille flavors and a suggestion of exotic spices. Finishes with repeating mineral, floral and dark fruit character, steadily building tannins and excellent persistence." Josh Raynolds, Vinous

Domaine Faury, Côte-Rôtie, 2021 $84.99
"Saturated ruby. Highly perfumed aromas of cherry, blueberry, incense, exotic spices and vanilla, along with a bright, smoky mineral overtone that builds in the glass. Spice-accented red and blue fruit preserve flavors show very good depth and energy thanks to a core of juicy acidity. Finishes with building floral and spice notes, dusty tannins and resonating minerality." Josh Raynolds, Vinous

Domaine Faury, Côte-Rôtie 'Emporium', 2020 $105.99
"Inky violet color. An assertively perfumed bouquet displays an array of ripe red and blue fruit preserve, floral and spice qualities, along with suggestions of licorice, smoky bacon and mineral notes. Deftly blends depth and energy and offers sweet cherry, cassis, fruitcake and candied violet flavors that are sharpened by building mineral and spice flourishes. Shows superb clarity and mineral cut on a strikingly long, penetrating and youthfully tannic finish that echoes the floral and mineral notes with serious authority. Raised in 600-liter oak casks, one-third of them new." Josh Raynolds, Vinous