April 3, 2024 - Gold color. No significant decant but this definitely improved with air. Floral notes but really more about hay, earth and bitter citrus peel. Tasted like licking the inside of a mango peel - sour and bitter with a tropical undertow. No real sweetness here which is awesome. Sufficiently but not overripe, but well balanced by acid. Perhaps candied citrus peel. Might be the best Viognier I have ever had.
Paired this with a Japanese style fried trout in a vinegared sauce with bamboo shoots and vegetables. The earthy and sweet-sour dish did well with this wine.
March 29, 2024 - I’ve experienced a lot of bottle variation with this wine and this particular bottle was sort of in between the good and not so good ones. Golden color. Mature Chablis-like bouquet, brine, toffee caramel, apples. Advanced, compared to the 2014 Chery, but there are no tropical fruit notes, rather baked apple notes, pear, toffee caramel. There’s good acidity, this is not heavy at all, but I’m also not sure this is the best example of what this wine can show. Have a few more in the cellar to try.
January 22, 2023 - Unlike some past Condrieu that I have had, this one needed a full hour or so of air to open up. Really nice once it did. Lots of honey and grilled, smoky peaches along with ripe mango and fresh apricots. This reminds me of a Gewürztraminer, but more elegant and more sophisticated. It was better on the warmer side of the spectrum, which really drew out the strong salty and mineral flavors. There’s a touch of floral scents in there too, just enough to remind you that this is Viognier. Lanolin, coconut oil, and freshly cut wood on the finish along with some cardamom and ginger, and a nice burst of meyer lemon. The taste stays with you after you finish drinking it.
Not as good on day 2, but still needed a lot of air. More calvados flavors.
25% new oak barrels, which seems like the right amount (I remember the Guigal Doriane feeling like there was too much oak). I felt like I hit it in a good spot—6 or 7 years in.
This is very good. I love it. If I’m being picky, this is about twice the price of many other wines from Condrieu, but is it that much better than, say, a top wine from Andre Perret? I’d love to do some side by side comparisons.
Solid match with Pork roast, turnips, and creamed spinach, but I liked it better on its own. Drank in Riedel Montrachet glass.
Early candidate for wine of the year.
December 31, 2022 - Medium gold. Better than just 4 months ago. Beautiful nose, more floral than ripe-fruity. Palate is full, slightly waxy, balanced and elegant. Hint of bitter acidity integrates after 60 minutes. Agree this can be decanted like a great white Burg. Will age but lose the floral, fruity notes that make viognier distinctive.
September 17, 2022 - Medium gold. Discrete nose. Still subtly fruity, and full bodied. Firm,balanced and smooth. Acidity is fully integrated. At peak. Best when not too cold. Drink over next 6 months unless stored in cold cellar.
August 18, 2022 - Vinklubben Vinminnen 10
May 31, 2022 - Seems mature. It's deep, has many layers, accents in the minerals, swirfs of honey, is growing very nicely - could surprise in terms of aging.
#BateauIvre#PodcastTour
May 9, 2022 - From restaurant list in CH. Initially closed and muted, took a good 1h in the decanter to open up. Confirms my recommendation that if a high quality Champagne or White is closed then a proper decant is a must. Step-by-step the wine opened up and displayed beautiful nose of lemon curd, acacia and a touch of oak. Good but not as impressive as the 2011 which I recently had.
March 20, 2022 - Best not too cold. Expressive, fruity nose. Acidity is smooth, no longer bitter. This bottle was coming close to peak tonight, for my palate.
March 12, 2022 - Rhone night at Wink. From mag. Solidifies this as my favorite Condrieu. Never disappoints. Ripe fruit nose, and not too floral. Fleshy with a hint of smoke on the palate, with plenty of minerality to carry through to a long finish. A step above the la doriane on this night.