Description
The wines from Condrieu have had an excellent reputation for many generations. The Popes in Avignon worshipped it, in the XVIth century the “Chapitre Lyonnais” offered it to his esteemed guests. More recently, Curnosky described it as one of the greatest white wines in France. Unfortunately, Phyloxera the first world war, the great depression in the thirties along with the industrialisation of the region were responsible for many to abandon their vineyard.
When the appellation of Condrieu was created in 1940, only three communes; Condrieu, Saint Michel and Vérin were included in the production area and totalled 170 hectares. In 1967, this was extended to four neighbouring villages; Chavanay, Saint Pierre de Boeuf, Malleval and Limony bringing it to 387 hectares. With increasing demand from the winegrowers and in view of keeping high quality wines, the area of plantation was reviewed one last time excluding any vines above an altitude of 300 meters. An agreement with the INAO brought the appellation down to 262 hectares. A quarter of the surface was withdrawn in order to only keep the hillside vines with the best exposure, where Viognier reaches its best maturity.
Terroir
The main stone found in Condrieu is granite. On the surface the soil is covered with decomposed granite and loess. This is soil is perfectly suited to Viognier and the vines benefit from excellent sunshine. When looking for winemaker collaborators, we wished to limit our research to Côteau de Cherry and Côteau de Rozay that have a bit of altitude and where the wines have a good balance and more importantly great freshness.
The vintage
After a mild winter and spring, conditions were perfect when everything changed on June 15th: a hailstorm destroyed a large part of the Crozes-Hermitage vines. Then we experienced a heatwave in the summer, one of the hottest of the decade, which caused some berries to burn. Our team’s efforts paid back fortunately and we managed to save part of the vineyard in great sanitary condition. And if Nature is sometimes harsh, it can also be generous. The harvest went perfectly well and although the quantities are limited, this vintage promises to be magnificent, despite a climatically and morally complicated year. The years in 9 regularly mark the memory of winegrowers and this vintage was no exception.
Location
In our search of winegrowers, we wanted to work in very specific places like coteaux de cherry and coteau de rozay, which are vineyards quite high in altitude, in order to get a nice balance and keep freshness for our wines.
Process
Vinification partly in tanks and partly in barrels of 225 litres. Maturing on fine lees for 8 months.
Varietal
Viognier : 100%
Tasting
Beautiful bright yellow colour with green reflections. The nose offers a nice aromatic freshness with notes of citrus and exotic fruit. With a nice ba-lance, the mouth is structured by its liveliness before evolving into a dense roundness with aromas of orange, lemon accompanied by discreet notes of aging that enhances the wine. Long finish on the palate with a tight fi-nish that fades gently to finish with nice bitterness.
Serving
Drink in its youth as an aperitif with some prawns.
11-12°C.
Reviews
95/100
"Floral nose, smooth and rich; deep favors of roses and violets. A modern take on the elegant fruit of this unique appellation."
Blue Lifestyle - 2020
91/100
"The 2019 Condrieu Maison les Alexandrins is enchantingly foral on the nose, then backs those notes with hints of stone fruit and pineapple. Plump, generous and medium to full-bodied on the palate, it boasts a silky mouthfeel and lingering fnish. It's an excellent effort for drinking over the next year or two."
Wine Advocate - 2021
93/100
"Delightfully peachy from nose to finish, this plush, full-bodied Viognier highlights pristine white peach and apricot favors swirled into a luscious sweet-cream palate. It's an opulent yet freshly balanced sip that's drinking beautifully now but likely to hold through 2029."
Wine Enthusiast - 2021
93/100
"Extroverted, with creamed white peach and white nectarine notes laced with anise and yellow apple notes. Flashes of honeysuckle and green almond on the fnish. Drink now through 2025."
Wine Spectator - 2021