Domaine Perret
The Crown Jewel of Condrieu
by Tom Wolf
I sometimes think of Saint-Joseph and Condrieu as the fraternal twins of the northern Rhône, under the radar compared to their siblings Hermitage, Côte-Rôtie, and Cornas. In Condrieu’s case, the appellation is tiny and the lone grape planted here is Viognier, a white variety that reaches its soaring heights only on the steep slopes that cascade down toward the Rhône River. At the opposite end of the spectrum, Saint-Joseph can be hard to pin down because it stretches across 1,400 hectares from Côte-Rôtie to Cornas and encompasses all kinds of terroirs that include near-vertical inclines, gently rolling plateaus above them, and the lower and gentler slopes below, resulting in a wide variety of wine styles and quality.
In recent years, though, both Saint-Joseph and Condrieu have fully stepped out of their more famous siblings’ shadows, thanks to a handful of family domaines making some of the greatest red and white wines in all of France. Few growers have raised the bar in these appellations more than André Perret, whose domaine is located in Chavanay on the western bank of the Rhône, an hour south of Lyon. These days, André and his daughter Marie work together to craft exquisite Saint-Josephs and truly awe-inspiring Condrieus.
I find so much joy and liveliness in the Perrets’ 2022 Saint-Joseph. With notes of red berries, stones, and the faintest hint of brine, this exuberant Syrah is the bottle you should open all summer and fall while you wait for the Grisières below to age a few years.
2022 Saint-Joseph “Les Grisières”
France | Northern Rhône
Les Grisières showcases the stately side of Syrah—it is darker, stonier, and denser than the cuvée above. In five or ten years, it will emerge from your cellar as an extremely fine Saint-Joseph, one of the best the appellation has to offer. Or if you can’t keep your hands off now, pour it into a decanter to rest for a few hours.
2022 Condrieu “Chéry”
France | Northern Rhône
From Condrieu’s noblest site, the 2022 Chéry is what you get when you balance opulence with immaculate taste. André and Marie coax an unmatched degree of freshness and finesse from their Viognier, which gives Chéry a mesmerizingly chiseled and mineral core to go with its kaleidoscopic flavors of peach, jasmine, ginger, pear, and more. This is a world-class wine.
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