Condrieu

The grand sweeping hills of Côte-Rôtie continue into Condrieu where the schist gives way to granite. Viognier is the only grape that matters here, Condrieu is its spiritual heartland and nowhere else in the world comes close to replicating the many nuances of this white grape found here. With a little over 200 hectares under vine on steep granite hills, everything here is done manually. If you are not in the vineyards tending the vines, chances are you are rebuilding the terraced walls - the work here is not for the faint-hearted.

The wines we like here are the modern, bright, mineral-toned examples, with subtle fruit expression and elegance but without the fatness and weight of the past.