An ode to the untamed side of Syrah, 3 Coups is drawn from parcels that once held Saint-Joseph status—now freed from the appellation’s rules and leaning fully into experimentation. It’s pure granite-grown Syrah: whole-cluster, no additives, aged in old barrels. The wine is juicy and wild-edged, with dark fruit, cracked pepper, and a feral, forest-floor energy. Less about polish, more about pulse—this is Syrah with dirt under its nails and lightning in its veins.

Christian Lericq & Collette Barrier – La Ferme de l’Arbre 

In a region as combed-over as the Northern Rhône, finding something new feels nearly impossible. But somehow, Christian Lericq and Collette Barrier slipped through the cracks—quietly making soulful, untamed Syrah on steep granite terraces around Tournon-sur-Rhône. Christian has been at it for over 25 years, bottling under his name and keeping things small, local, and decidedly out of the spotlight. It wasn’t until 2016, with the creation of La Ferme de l’Arbre, that he and Collette formed a proper domaine—though the name remains as anonymous as they are.

Their 4.5ha of vines—once all within the Saint-Joseph appellation—are farmed by hand, with tools as analog as a pickaxe and winch. Everything is done without chemical inputs, nourished by compost and herbal teas, with only trace amounts of copper or sulfur used in extreme cases. In the cellar, it’s whole-bunch fermentations, native yeasts, no fining, no filtering, and no additions—just raw, expressive wine left to age in old barrels under their home.

Though their friends and neighbors (Souhaut, Dard, Ribo) have become names in natural wine circles, Christian and Collette have quietly let their wines speak. And speak they do—bloody, electric, and buzzing with immediacy. These are not polished, prim Rhône Syrahs. They’re the wild, emotive counterparts.. They don't just stand apart from the crowd—they exist on their own wavelength.