According to author Jancis Robinson, the Viognier grape had all but disappeared from the world stage by the mid-1980s. Of what little remained, most was in Condrieu, in France’s northern Rhône, where plantings totaled a little over 20 hectares. Things have since changed, but there’s still not very much Viognier out there—and when it comes to genuinely great,
got-to-have-it Viognier, Condrieu is still the epicenter.
One of the authors of Viognier’s comeback in Condrieu has been François Villard, a former chef who began planting vines in the late-’80s and has become a master of a variety that is notoriously difficult to master. It’s hard to capture the fleshy texture and exotic aromatics that distinguish Viognier without producing something more akin to a dessert wine, but in Condrieu, with Villard at the controls, the balancing act is a thrilling spectacle to behold. Today’s 2014 is an opulent, honeyed white that also has the herbal savor and dry, mineral finish only the best Condrieu can deliver. We found it got better and better over the course of three days open, having just now entered its prime drinking window, with ripe fruit and heady ‘petrol’ notes balanced by a wave of freshness. It’s big but nimble, and it’s crying out to be a main-event white at your next dinner party. There’s nothing else like it, and there’s never very much to go around, so if you love profoundly textural dry whites, you must jump on this while you can!
Perhaps nowhere in the world is the synergy of grape and place more dramatically on display than in Condrieu. Since its mid-eighties ebb, Viognier has made a comeback here (up to about 200 hectares today) and has expanded further afield as well, although, as Jancis Robinson says, the latter development was “chiefly because of its extraordinary combination of perfume and body.” Although I’ve tasted a good number of appealing Viogniers from other terroirs (especially Australia), the variety tends to get a little too hedonistic—too oily, too floral, and too sweet (or sweet-seeming). Viognier is naturally low in acidity and requires extended hang time on the vine for its full aromatic range to emerge, so there’s always the danger of the wine skewing a little fat and sweet. In Condrieu, with its decomposed granite soils and relatively cool climate, the variety can develop complexity and depth without going overboard. Interestingly, most descriptions of the Viognier grape describe it as one that reaches its aromatic apex after it climbs past 14% alcohol; without sufficient acidity to check that alcohol, the wine will taste ‘hot’ and syrupy.
No such problems are to be found in this superbly balanced, richly textured 2014, “Le Grand Vallon.” Quite the contrary: This is one of the most energetic full-bodied whites you’ll ever taste. Villard fermented the wine on indigenous yeasts and subjected it to regular bâtonnage (lees-stirring) during its year-long aging in 35% new French oak barrels, lending the wine a pleasing creaminess that complements its full-throttle core of stone fruits and florals. In the glass, it’s a deep burnished gold moving out to a silvery rim, with heady aromas of mango, tangerine, yellow peach, white and yellow flowers, honeysuckle, thyme, wet stones, and petrol. This exotic mélange is also found on the drippingly ripe, full-bodied palate, which exhibits a well-calibrated mix of fruit and crushed-stone minerality. Like a mom cleaning up after her son’s keg party, the acidity is fresh and palate-cleansing, leaving a citrusy twang and lingering floral scents behind. Enjoy it after a brief decant (15-30 minutes) in red-wine stems—let it air out and spread its wings—at 50 degrees; it’s drinking beautifully now and should continue to be a showstopper over the next 5-7 years. It is most certainly a wine for food, especially main-course seafood preparations like the attached. Break one (or two) out soon for a delicious and slightly decadent summer celebration. Enjoy!
