Francois Villard’s Syrah might be one of the best values in wine that I have tasted. This is what Syrah is supposed to be. Spicy, fresh, delicious.

One of the new stars of the Northern Rhone, Francois started out his career as a chef, before deciding to buy a little fruit to try his hand at winemaking, making his first 400 bottles. The results of that first vintage were so impressive that he was urged to make more. That was in 1991 and today Francoisowns 40 hectares of his own vineyards. While his style started out as being more modern and extracted, today he seems to be moving more towards an elegant, bright fresh style that is easy to drink in its youth, but should still reward aging.