2020 Domaine Yves Cuilleron Viognier Les Vignes d'à Côté

Community Tasting Notes (11) Avg Score: 91.8 points

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  8/20/2022 - guillermo- wrote:

  Flowers. Tons of flowers. Like walking into a garden where the gardener has been moving about and touching the plants here and there making them release more aromas. On the palate the flowers remain, maybe whiter, with some faraway notes of honey and white pepper. That's the easy part about this wine, along with the body which, as Viognier goes, was fairly restrained and easy going, perfect for a hot day.
  
  What's the hard part? The fruit. It took me the entire bottle over two days and I still can't put my finger on it. I want to say chironja which is a note I noticed in the last Viognier I had too. Chironja is a Puerto Rican cross between a white grapefruit and an orange, that ends up tasting like a bland, slightly bitter grapefruit. It's not an uncommon white wine note for me but it's elusive and not as exact in this wine. Anyway, I'm sticking with it.
  
  I think this can use some age. Sticking my other bottle in the offsite for a couple of years.

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  7/29/2022 - dlduchon Likes this wine: 93 Points

  Perfect balance and fantastic aromatics. I preferred this over the Condrieu. I was unable to weigh the bottle, but it is a nice shape (See other review).

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  5/6/2022 - apple1813 Likes this wine: 91 Points

  2020 Yves Cuilleron Les Vignes d'à Côté Viognier was fresh, aromatic and well-balanced. Sealed under TCA-free DIAM-10 cork, the youthful Northern Rhône Viognier was clear and pale lemon in colour without any sediments. Expressive aromatics of pear, nectarine, honeysuckle and violet were accompanied by a whiff of white pepper.
  
  On the palate, it was dry and rather full-bodied, with a medium level of balancing acidity. Though it was the nature of Viognier grapes to yield slightly richer wines, this example was comparatively fresh and restrained on the palate. There were flavours of honey, quince, tangerine zest and crushed white flowers in a medium enjoyable finish. The alcohol level was at 13.5%. The empty bottle weighed 445 grams.
  
  For comparison, a couple of days later, I uncorked Condrieu Les Chaillets from the same vintage and the same producer. The aromas of the Condrieu was more pronounced, marked by mango, white peach and dried charmomile. The longer and more impactful finish came with additional spices and richness. Tasters who prefer a more delicate style of Viognier, probably to pair with lighter dishes (think fried shrimps versus monkfish in lemon butter sauce) may prefer the humble Les Vignes d'à Côté to Condrieu Les Chaillets.
  
  Vinicultural information is available on the winery website. It is a single-plot cuvée, from vines cultivated in the commune of Chavanay, which is between Condrieu to the north, and Saint Joseph to the south. The soil is composed of granite and alluvium. The wine has been raised for six to seven months on lees in barrels and large casks. 41,000 bottles are filled.

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  5/5/2022 - scorbett Likes this wine:

  Blossoms, apricots, a touch of the tropical. Both the sweet essence and the bitter essence of almond, without the nuttiness... if that makes sense.

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  5/2/2022 - Paul S wrote: 92 Points

  Lunch at 67 Pall Mall (67 Pall Mall, Singapore): From a decanted half-bottle, this was very pleasing. It had a lovely nose on it, about as flowery a Viognier as you could ask for, with daisies and marigolds and elderflower aromas around a notes of lychee cream and white peach. Lovely. The creamy textured palate was really yummy too. Not as perfumy sweet as the nose suggested, but still with a nice halo of white flowers floating over a nicely balanced core of white peach, sweet apples and a little lick of spice and just a hint of minerality at the very end. This was a real charmer which got better and better with time and air. While nice young, I suspect a couple or more years in the bottle might improve it even more.

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