Drink Condrieu before you die!
Why? Because it is liquid hedonism — and it very nearly became extinct, so you’re lucky you’re still able to.
Ten Second Summary
- What it is: Condrieu is a tiny Northern Rhône white wine appellation in France made only from the Viognier grape.
- Tastes like: Apricot, peach, honeysuckle, blossom, spice and soft golden fruit, wrapped in a rich, oily, voluptuous texture.
- Buying shortcut: If you want the best Viognier wine, start with Condrieu — or go straight to the best Condrieu producers ↓.
- Best with: Rich seafood, roast chicken, pork, creamy sauces, lightly spiced food, and anything that can handle perfume, texture and a bit of flamboyance.
- When to drink: Most Condrieu is best young to middle-aged, usually within 2 to 5 years, while the very best bottles can develop beautifully for longer.
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| Guigal Condrieu: a benchmark bottle from the spiritual home of Viognier | © guigal.com |
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1. Why Condrieu is bucket list worthy
The best wines are often a paradox. Condrieu is a paradox to the extreme. It’s such a contradiction it’s almost funny. But it’s goooood. So, so good.
On one hand it’s opulent, fat, overt, flabby, extravagant. While, on the other, it’s refined, elegant, sophisticated, nuanced and poised. It’s absurd. It really is.
You’ve got to try it if you haven’t already. And, if you have, you’ll know what I’m talking about and want to try it again.
Condrieu is not just another aromatic white wine. It is the original, benchmark, “why-does-this-smell-so-good?” expression of Viognier. If you are looking for the best Viognier wine, this tiny stretch of steep Northern Rhône hillside is still the place to start.
2. What is Condrieu?
Condrieu is a small appellation in the Northern Rhône, France, and it only makes white wine from the Viognier grape.
That’s part of the magic. Burgundy has Chardonnay. Mosel has Riesling. Sancerre has Sauvignon Blanc. Condrieu has Viognier — and no one does Viognier quite like Condrieu.
The vineyards sit on steep, narrow terraces above the Rhône. This is not easy country. It is awkward, labour-intensive, expensive country. But that difficulty is part of why the wines can be so distinctive. You don’t get bland, anonymous, industrial white wine from these slopes. You get perfume, texture, warmth, generosity and drama.
While there are now some excellent Viogniers from outside Condrieu — particularly from Australia, California, South Africa and elsewhere in France — Condrieu itself remains head and shoulders above the rest when it comes to pulling off that combination of exotic flamboyance and voluptuousness with elegance and poise.
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| Terraces at Guigal's Coteau de Chery vineyard in Condrieu: steep, difficult, expensive and very much worth it | © guigal.com |
3. Condrieu and the near extinction of Viognier
For a long time, Condrieu was the only place where Viognier really existed. Then it almost disappeared.
In the 1960s, there were fewer than 10 hectares of Condrieu vines left. Some sources put it at around 8 hectares. In some years, a mere 1,900 litres of wine is all that was produced. That’s a measly 2,533 bottles for the whole world to share!
It’s hard to imagine now, given how fashionable Viognier has become, but the grape very nearly vanished. The vineyards were steep, the yields were low, the work was hard, and the commercial reward was not always there. Local growers could often make easier money from other crops.
Fortunately, interest in Condrieu and the Viognier grape grew again. Today, Condrieu has recovered dramatically, and Viognier is planted around the world. That is a wonderful thing. But the original remains the original.
Condrieu is still the bottle to try if you want to understand why Viognier matters. It is the wine that took a grape from the brink of extinction to global admiration. That alone makes it bucket list worthy.
4. What does Condrieu taste like?
Condrieu can be gloriously excessive. It can smell of apricot, peach, orange blossom, honeysuckle, ripe pear, ginger, spice and warm golden fruit.
But the real trick is texture. Condrieu is not a zippy, nervy, skeletal white wine. It is broad, rich, silky and sometimes almost oily. That sounds like it should be too much. And sometimes, in the wrong hands, it is. But the best Condrieu somehow keeps its head.
That is the paradox. It is flamboyant but not vulgar. It is full-bodied but not necessarily clumsy. It is perfumed but not simple. It is hedonistic, but the best examples still have sophistication, balance and poise.
This is why Condrieu is so difficult to imitate. Viognier grown elsewhere can be lovely, but it often becomes either too heavy and blowsy, or too clean and polite. Condrieu at its best is both extravagant and elegant — and that is a rare thing.
5. What food goes with Condrieu?
Condrieu is a white wine with shoulders. It can handle richer food than you might expect.
It is superb with roast chicken, pork, scallops, lobster, crab, creamy sauces, butter-rich dishes, mild curries, Moroccan-style spices, saffron, ginger, apricot, fennel and lightly spiced Asian food.
The trick is not to treat it like Sauvignon Blanc. Don’t ask Condrieu to be lean, sharp and citrusy. Let it be what it is: rich, perfumed, generous and a little bit outrageous.
If you’re opening one of the best Condrieu wines, give it food with enough richness to meet it halfway. A delicate salad will probably be flattened. Roast chicken with buttery pan juices will not.
6. When should you drink Condrieu?
Most Condrieu is best drunk young to middle-aged, usually within 2 to 5 years of the vintage. The joy is often in the perfume, fruit and texture, and those are not always improved by long cellaring.
That said, the very best producers and best sites can make Condrieu that develops beautifully for longer. With bottle age, some examples move away from obvious apricot and blossom into honey, spice, wax, nuts and deeper savoury complexity.
If you have one bottle, don’t overthink it. Chill it gently, not ice-cold, open it with a good meal, and enjoy the hedonism while it’s still in full voice.
7. The best Condrieu producers and bottles to try
Here are 10 Condrieu producers and bottles worth looking for. Click through to Wine-Searcher to find the wine near you.
1) Domaine Georges Vernay – Condrieu Coteau de Vernon
If Condrieu has a modern saviour, it is Georges Vernay. When Viognier was close to disappearing, Vernay helped keep the flame alive. His family’s Coteau de Vernon is one of the great benchmark bottles of the appellation: powerful, refined, perfumed and deeply serious.
This is not just one of the best Condrieus. It is one of the world’s great white wines.
Find Domaine Georges Vernay Coteau de Vernon on Wine-Searcher
2) E. Guigal – Condrieu La Doriane
Guigal is one of the great names of the Rhône, and La Doriane is one of the most famous Condrieus. It is rich, polished, luxurious and unmistakably serious. If your idea of the best Viognier wine involves perfume, texture, ripe fruit and a proper sense of occasion, this is a very good place to look.
Find E. Guigal La Doriane on Wine-Searcher
3) E. Guigal – Condrieu
Guigal’s classic Condrieu is often more accessible than La Doriane and is a very useful introduction to the style. It still gives you the Condrieu calling cards: apricot, blossom, generosity, silkiness and that lovely sense that Viognier is slightly overdoing it — but in the best possible way.
Find E. Guigal Condrieu on Wine-Searcher
4) M. Chapoutier – Condrieu Invitare
Chapoutier is another heavyweight Rhône name, and Invitare is a strong, reliable Condrieu to know. It tends to show the generous side of Viognier: ripe stone fruit, flowers, weight and texture, but with enough freshness and control to keep things civilised.
Find M. Chapoutier Invitare on Wine-Searcher
5) Yves Cuilleron – Condrieu Les Chaillets
Yves Cuilleron is one of the most respected names in the Northern Rhône and makes Condrieu with real precision and personality. Les Chaillets is a lovely bottle to look for if you want richness, yes, but also brightness, detail and lift.
Find Yves Cuilleron Les Chaillets on Wine-Searcher
6) François Villard – Condrieu DePoncins
François Villard makes expressive, generous Northern Rhône wines with plenty of character. DePoncins is a Condrieu for those who like the style turned up: aromatic, ripe, textured and indulgent, but still recognisably Condrieu rather than just “big Viognier.”
Find François Villard DePoncins on Wine-Searcher
7) André Perret – Condrieu Clos Chanson
André Perret is an excellent producer to know if you want Condrieu with class and definition. Clos Chanson can show the grape’s lush perfume and texture without tipping too far into heaviness. It is a very good reminder that Condrieu can be flamboyant and controlled at the same time.
Find André Perret Clos Chanson on Wine-Searcher
8) Pierre Gaillard – Condrieu
Pierre Gaillard is another strong Northern Rhône name, and his Condrieu is well worth seeking out. Expect the classic stone-fruit and floral perfume, supported by a rounded, satisfying palate. A very solid choice if you want a Condrieu that delivers the style clearly and generously.
Find Pierre Gaillard Condrieu on Wine-Searcher
9) Domaine Faury – Condrieu
Domaine Faury is often a good name to look for across the Northern Rhône. The Condrieu tends to be aromatic and expressive without losing its footing. It’s a lovely bottle for seeing how Viognier can be generous, perfumed and still drinkable rather than tiring.
Find Domaine Faury Condrieu on Wine-Searcher
10) Domaine Yves et Mathilde Gangloff – Condrieu
Gangloff has a cult following in the Northern Rhône, and the wines can be hard to find. The Condrieu is not always the easiest bottle to track down, but that is part of the appeal. If you see it, and the price is not too terrifying, it belongs on a serious best Condrieu shortlist.
Find Gangloff Condrieu on Wine-Searcher
8. Best Viognier wine FAQ
What type of wine is Condrieu?
Condrieu is a dry white wine from the Northern Rhône in France. It is made only from the Viognier grape. It is usually full-bodied, aromatic, rich and textured, with flavours and aromas of apricot, peach, blossom, spice and ripe golden fruit.
Is Condrieu the best Viognier wine?
If you want the benchmark expression of Viognier, Condrieu is the place to start. There are excellent Viogniers from other parts of France, Australia, California and beyond, but Condrieu remains the spiritual home of the grape and the most famous source of the world’s best Viognier wine.
Why is Condrieu so expensive?
Condrieu is expensive because the appellation is tiny, the vineyards are steep, much of the work has to be done by hand, yields are low, and demand for the best bottles is strong. In other words, it is rare, difficult and delicious — which is rarely a recipe for cheap wine.
Is Condrieu a sweet wine?
Most Condrieu today is dry. However, because Viognier is so aromatic, ripe and full-bodied, it can sometimes smell sweeter than it tastes. A good Condrieu may feel rich, round and honeyed, but that does not necessarily mean it contains much residual sugar.
What does Condrieu taste like?
Condrieu typically tastes of apricot, peach, pear, honeysuckle, orange blossom, ginger and spice. The texture is just as important as the flavour: the best Condrieu is rich, silky, broad and hedonistic while still keeping elegance and poise.
What food goes best with Condrieu?
Condrieu is excellent with roast chicken, pork, scallops, lobster, crab, creamy sauces, mild curries and lightly spiced Asian or Moroccan-style dishes. It needs food with enough richness and flavour to match its perfume and texture.
Should Condrieu be served chilled?
Yes, but not too cold. Serve Condrieu lightly chilled rather than fridge-freezing cold. If it is too cold, you can mute the perfume and texture — and perfume and texture are the whole point.
How long can you age Condrieu?
Most Condrieu is best within 2 to 5 years of the vintage. The very best producers and sites can age longer, developing honey, wax, spice and nutty complexity, but Condrieu is usually bought for its youthful perfume and luxurious texture.
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