Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The single vineyard 2023 Condrieu Clos Chanson brings a bigger, richer style while staying pure, focused, and incredibly elegant. Honeyed white flowers, crushed stone, toast, and tropical notes all shine here, and this beauty is full-bodied, round, lush, and layered on the palate. It's unquestionably in the top handful of Condrieu in the vintage. Drink bottles over the coming decade. Drink 2025-2035.
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Wine Spectator
Shows concentration and savory, mineral drive behind its golden apple, fleshy melon, apricot and savory, green herbal streak. Salty oak and bitter tannins move in, making this tightly wound still. There’s a subtle honeyed edge to the toasty, structured finish, with a jolt of lemony freshness. Drink now through 2030. 15 cases imported.
Full-figured and charmingly floral, Viognier is one of the most important white grapes of the northern Rhône where it is used both to produce single varietal wines and as an important blending grape. Look for great New World examples from California, Oregon, Washington and cooler parts of Australia. Somm Secret—Viognier plays a surprisingly important role in the red wines of Côte Rôtie in the northern Rhône. About 5% Viognier is typically co-fermented with the Syrah in order to stabilize the color, and as an added benefit, add a subtle perfume.
As the source of some of the most vibrant and powerful white wines in France, Condrieu is uniquely situated in one of the northern outposts of the Rhone River. It is the original Viognier appellation with a wine growing history reaching back well over two thousand years. Like most of the wine regions of the Northern Rhone, Condrieu’s vines grow on extremely steep and narrow granite terraces. But what makes the region unique is a topsoil, locally called, “arzelle,” made of decomposed mica. This and a sheltering of the harsh northern winds, make optimal sites to produce opulent and brilliant Viognier. It is a tiny zone with no room for expansion and produces miniscule amounts of wine each year, contributing to its allure.
A fine Condrieu will have aromas and flavors suggestive of ripe stone fruit, lime peel, green almond, ginger, white flowers and toasted nuts. A honeyed smell may mislead you to think the wine will be sweet but the modern style favors totally dry on the palate. Its texture will be full and soft but a touch of mineral will provide great balance.