Northern Rhône Wines from the Top of the World: Guy Farge
I was fortunate enough to visit with Thomas Farge last year, and he took me through his St-Joseph holdings where we saw many of his new plantings. Since taking the winemaking mantle from his father, Guy, Thomas has grown the estate to about 20 hectares. Every vineyard has a stunning hillside view but some of the new vines overlook vistas of the valley below that any developer would be jealous of. We traipsed through some of his existing St-Joseph vines and marveled at the steep terraced slopes. Each time I got out of his truck, I had to consciously think about not stepping out over a ledge and tumbling to another terrace below.
Most of the Northern Rhône vineyards are complicated to farm. If the tradition of growing grapes here were a modern construct, no sane person would plant on these hillsides nor have the tenacity to carve out these terraced slopes. Thanks to the ancient Romans, the tradition of wine cultivation in this amazing terroir persist today.
The history of Domaine Farge goes back to the 1920s when Andre Farge purchased 12 hectares of vineyards primarily in St-Joseph and began farming and selling his grapes to the cooperative. For a few generations, this practice continued even when Guy Farge took over the vineyards in 1980. Working at the Cave de Tain, the main cooperative in the region, Guy finally decided to begin vinifying some of his own grapes in 2007 after completing his oenology degree. In 2018, Guy’s son Thomas joined the estate and took over the production. Thomas began the process of converting the vineyards to organic cultivation, while drawing new inspiration from some of his favorite local growers. Shifting towards practices like whole-cluster fermentation for reds, native-yeast ferments, concrete tanks and larger barrels for aging, Thomas has created a new movement at this small estate and is now making some of the most exciting wines we have seen in the region. Not only are his reds really top-tier, but Thomas makes some pretty phenomenal white wines as well.
We currently have these wine from Thomas and each is discovery waiting to happen:
2022 Guy Farge "Bouquet de Blanc" Ardeche Blanc $17.99 This generous blend of equal parts Marsanne, Roussanne, and Viognier is my favorite entry point into Northern Rhône whites. This is filled with stone fruit flavors of nectarine and peach, while the Viognier throws in some tropical nuances like mango and papaya. It’s not just all fruit though, this has some nice minerality on its dry finish. If you are unfamiliar with whites from the Rhône, this is a tremendous place to jump in!
2022 Guy Farge "Grain de Silex" Saint-Peray Blanc 93DC $29.99 Saint-Peray as a region is on the cusp of its full-blown renaissance. This area, which famously only produces whites and sparkling wines (what? a sparkling wine region in the Northern Rhône?!), nearly disappeared after the world wars. Only recently has it begun to reemerge and thankfully our friends at Domaine Guy Farge have a small parcel that is the perfect reflection of Saint-Peray. The "Grain de Silex" is mostly Roussanne with about 20% Marsanne. It is clean and pure, showing lovely notes of ripe nectarine, peach, lemon verbena, and a stony mineral-laden finish. Never heavy, just subtly complex and intriguing. A great addition to our Northern Rhône line-up!
2023 Guy Farge "Bouquet de Syrah" Ardeche $16.99 Farge's entry-level Syrah is the perfect introduction to this producer and their style. The nose is ample with black and red fruits jumping from black cherry and raspberry to blackberry. Notes of spice and tobacco keep it in the realm of French Syrah. The palate is equally generous, but the acid balance keeps this fresh and lively, and the light tannins make me dream of pairing this with my favorite weeknight foods. One of the best in its class and at a price that cannot be beat!
2022 Guy Farge "Terroir de Granit" Saint-Joseph Rouge $29.99 The Terroir de Granit is the wine that put Domaine Guy Farge on the map. This "Terroir" has beautiful black fruit notes with savory spices and classic meaty tones. I recently tried this against the 2017 and it was amazing to see just how well the wines evolve with a few years of bottle age on them. The 2022 is generous—it’s an excellent vintage—and I know the promise of a little extra age will allow this wine to evolve into something even more tremendous.
2020 Guy Farge "Passion de Terrasses" Saint-Joseph Rouge $39.99 94DC 94JS From the oldest plots at the domaine, the "Passion" is like a baby Jamet. An explosive perfume of blackcurrant, cherries, bay, and juniper erupt from the glass. The long, savory finish gives way to stylish tannins. This has tremendous complexity and is only just beginning to show its true potential.
2022 Guy Farge "Harmonie" Cornas $39.99 Gaining access to the Cornas releases from Domaine Guy Farge was one of my goals when I first met Guy many years ago. They farm smaller parcels in two areas, and, when I visited them, Thomas and Guy took me out to show them to me. I fell in love with the vineyards at first sight. The hillsides for the Reynard parcel were so treacherous, they nearly induced vertigo. I immediately appreciated what Guy and Thomas had set out to do. This new vintage of Harmonie is all whole cluster from the Sauman and Reynard hillsides. Everything is fermented with native yeasts and the wine spends about a year in used demi-muid (larger oak barrels). Dark berry fruit with a richer profile, there are elements of cocoa powder, oolong tea, and new saddle leather. This is incredible purity for a young Cornas, and, given an hour or more in the decanter, it opens beautifully to show you even more layers.