Ben says
★★ Great Wine “Straw coloured with long slow legs. Aromas of ripe peach, yuzu, pink grapefruit, jasmine and butterscotch. Fruity and full, even oily, balanced by nervy acidity and savoury notes of white pepper, sage and charred toast. Buttery, long and rolling on the finish. The alcohol is high, almost spirity – luckily the wine’s big and bold to match.“
KEY POINTS
Varietal Viognier with 14.5% abv. Selected hand harvest from sites with poor, sandy and granitic soils in the famous Condrieu appellation. Fermented in a mix of stainless steel and French oak, followed by malolactic fermentation. It is matured in 100% new French oak. Around 120,000 bottles were made.
Grown in: Condrieu, Rhone, FRANCE.
Food Pairing
Thoroughly enjoyed with glazed carrot, thyme and onion tarte tatin, roast potatoes and greens. I imagine it will also pair well with a classic roast turkey and its trimmings, or an indulgent spread of duck liver pate on toasted thick white bloomer.
Disclosure & Price
Purchased as a half bottle via subscription to The Little Fine Wine Co. Find in the UK for circa £56.50 from Waud Wines for 75cl, according to wine-searcher.com.
Reviewed and tasted: 29/12/2023
About the Producer
Condrieu is a small appellation in France of 200 hectares, planted exclusively with Viognier grape vines, located at the north of the Rhone growing region. Yields are low due to the poor sandy soils and stopes are steep, increasing labour costs. Demand for Condrieu has kept prices high, but acceptable for its quality. The Guigal family, based near Lyon, is synonymous with the Rhone, producing great wines from across the appellation. The current head of the family is Philippe Guigal.
