Domaine Jolivet, VdF Rouge 'La Cuvee de Louis', 2023

Young Bastien Jolivet took over his family's Northern Rhône vineyards in 2014 and turned what had been cooperative-bound grapes into something personal and alive. This pure Syrah comes from a granite site at 350 meters elevation in Lemps, partially whole-bunch fermented and raised in neutral oak to let the fruit and stone speak. The Vin de France designation frees Bastien from appellation constraints—think of it as Saint-Joseph's wild neighbor. Fresh, stony, with cherry and violet aromas and a whisper of smoke. Imported by Kermit Lynch.