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Wine Condrieu
The Condrieu appellation is located in the north of the Rhône valley between the "Côte Roties" and "Saint Joseph" appellations. A land of choice for Viognier, it is located at the crossroads of 3 departments: Ardèche, Loire and Rhône. Cultivated on steep hillsides, the beauty of these landscapes leaves no one indifferent. Read more on Condrieu
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Appellation Condrieu
The history of Condrieu is not a long quiet river.
The first traces of vines in the Condrieu appellation date back to the Emperor Probus. In 280 AD, he lifted the prohibitions on vine planting in the Province, established two centuries earlier by the Emperor Dominus. Nevertheless, it is presumed that vines existed in the Rhone Valley before the prohibitions dictated by Dominus, since writings demonstrate the competition that could exist between Italian wines and the wines of this valley. The style of these wines is strongly influenced by those imported from Greece which have the ability to withstand transport. As well as importing their wines to Gaul, they would import the culture of drinking these beverages.
The commercial development of the wines of the Rhone valley remained weak in the Middle Ages due to high taxes at the crossings of the cities located on the Rhone and the Saône. In the 18th century, the problem seemed to be solved by passing through the Loire and the Seine to reach Paris. Indeed, due to its geographical location Condrieu is only about forty kilometres from the Loire. The Briare and Loing canals link the Loire and the Seine and thus allow you to reach Paris. The Rhône Valley wines can be enjoyed beyond the local borders.
Thanks to Georges Vernay, Antoine Cuilleron and Pierre Perret, among others, who led this rebuilding battle within the wine union.Without them, we would not have the chance to enjoy the wines of Condrieu!
The atypical, intimidating and fragile landscape of Condrieu
The Condrieu appellation is located in the northern part of the Rhone Valley, 40 kilometres from Lyon, on the edge of the Massif Central. It covers nearly 200 hectares and seven communes, five of which are located in the department of La Loire (Chavanay, Condrieu, Limony, Malleval, Saint-Michel- sur- Rhône, Saint-Pierre-de-Boeuf and Vérin). Viognier is enthroned on this cliff-side appellation. The slopes of certain parcels sometimes exceed 50%, which requires human means and means of preservation beyond the norm.
The terraces, the low walls, the benches are essential elements of the Condrieu terroir called "chaillées". They contribute to the evacuation of rainwater, to the accumulation of heat during the day and its release at night, but also to the stability of the vineyard. Their maintenance is an essential criterion for obtaining the appellation. Indeed, the sandy-clay soils are poor and friable hence the importance of the terraces. They are derived from the alteration of granite, a magmatic rock (for the communes of Chavanay, Condrieu, Saint-Michel- sur- Rhône and Vérin) and metamorphic rocks leptynites and anatexes (to the north of Condrieu, to the west of Verlieu, to the south of Chavanay and in Saint-Pierre-de-Boeuf). On Chavanay and Saint-Pierre-de-Boeuf, loess veneers (accumulation of clay, limestone and quartz particles due to wind erosion) can be observed.
Winters are temperate and summers hot, rainfall is regular with an average of 700 to 800 mm per year. Condrieu is mostly swept by the cold and dry north wind hence the South, South/East exposure of the vines. This exposure protects the vineyards from the winds and allows them sufficient sunshine to reach the ripeness threshold required by the specifications.
The cultivation practices and regulatory requirements of the appellation are of course adapted to the particularities of this terroir. The minimum planting density is 6500 vines/ha, the required pruning is short (cordon, gobelet and simple guyot), the maximum yield is low (41 hl/ha) and the viticultural work is manual.
The characteristics of a Condrieu
The exposure of the Condrieu vineyard allows a beautiful ripeness of the grapes to be achieved each year. Exceptional years allow the production of small quantities of "mellow" Condrieu thanks to a controlled over-ripeness of the grapes. This dry white wine has a beautiful pale gold colour with green highlights. The nose gives off aromas of fresh fruit (peach, mango, apricot) and more floral notes of peony and violet. With ageing, the aging, the wines will show more spicy notes of musk and tobacco. The mouthfeel is full, round, mellow but always balanced with the liveliness that characterises the viognier of Condrieu.
How to tune a Condrieu
.Condrieu has a nice balance between fat and liveliness which allows it to be paired with many dishes such as Bresse poultry, lobster, fish, foie gras in terrine, asparagus and with the inevitable Condrieu cheese rigotte.
Exceptional domains in Condrieu
Chateau Grillet
It is one of the finest reputations in the Northern Côtes du Rhône but it is first and foremost an appellation in its own right of 3.5 ha. Château Grillet is a monopole enclosed within the Condrieu appellation. The vineyard of Château Grillet is cultivated biodynamically. It is characterised by a warmer microclimate than the Condrieu appellation. This estate now belongs to François Pinault.The Georges Vernay estate
It is one of the mythical estates intimately linked to this appellation due to Georges Vernay's commitment to rebuilding the Condrieu vineyards. Christine Vernay, daughter of Georges Vernay, likes to work in detail. On the 23 ha of which 17 ha are on steep slopes, biodynamic farming is applied. The wines reveal their terroir to perfection. She produces 3 Condrieu that are Coteau du Vernon, Les Chaillées de l'enfer and Les terrasses de l'empire.Yves and Mathilde Gangloff
They are part of the generation that arrived in the 1980s on Condrieu. They founded their estate in 1984 and have been producing high quality wines ever since. Since 2011 Mathilde has left us but Yves continues their work with the help of his children. They exploit 6 ha on the appellation Côtes Roties and 5 ha on Condrieu.
Vallée du Rhône appellations
Château-Grillet
Côtes du Rhône Villages Suze-la-Rousse
Côtes-du-Rhône Villages Sainte-Cécile
Côtes-du-Rhône-Villages Chusclan
Côtes-du-Rhône-Villages Laudun
Côtes-du-Rhône-Villages Massif-d'Uchaux
Côtes-du-Rhône-Villages Plan-de-Dieu
Côtes-du-Rhône-Villages Rochegude
Côtes-du-Rhône-Villages Sablet
Côtes-du-Rhône-Villages Séguret
Côtes-du-Rhône-Villages Signargues
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