2022 ChevernyDomaine du Salvard
France | Loire
$22
Producers
Condrieu is often overshadowed by the great red-wine AOCs of the northern Rhône, but I’m not exaggerating when I say this bottle from André Perret is one of the great wines of France. Made from ancient-vine Viognier planted along the Rhône’s dramatically steep hillsides, this blanc offers bewitching texture, density, and vibrant flavors of ripe peach, jasmine, tropical fruit, orange zest, and so much more. Pair it with shrimp and grits or grilled chicken for a transcendent experience.
—Tom Wolf
Wine Type: | white |
Vintage: | 2019 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Viognier |
Appellation: | Condrieu |
Country: | France |
Region: | Northern Rhône |
Producer: | André Perret |
Winemaker: | André Perret |
Vineyard: | 50 years average, 2.8 ha |
Soil: | Granite, Mica, Schist |
Aging: | Aged for one year on fine lees in barrique, then another three months in stainless steel before bottling |
Farming: | Lutte Raisonnée |
Alcohol: | 15.5% |
Lionel Faury France | Northern Rhône | Saint Joseph
Lionel Faury France | Northern Rhône | Collines Rhodaniennes
Jean-Claude Marsanne France | Northern Rhône | IGP Ardèche
Barruol / Lynch France | Northern Rhône | Côte Rôtie
Barruol / Lynch France | Northern Rhône | Hermitage
Lionel Faury France | Northern Rhône | Saint-Joseph
On the wines of the northern Rhône, Kermit wrote in Adventures on the Wine Route, “The best combine a reminder of the sunny Mediterranean with the more self-conscious, intellectual appeal of the great Burgundies farther north, which is not a bad combination.” Like the wines of Provence, Burgundy, and Beaujolais, Kermit was introduced to this region by Richard Olney, an American ex-pat and friend of Alice Waters.
Though technically part of the same region as the southern Rhône and connected by the Rhône River, much differentiates the north from the south. The climate is continental and in general cooler than that Mediterranean climate of the south. The appellations are significantly smaller: Cornas has less than 300 acres planted to vine and Hermitage around 345. The area planted is minute when compared to Gigondas (3,000+ acres) and Châteauneuf-du-Pape (nearly 8,000 acres). Many of the great wines come from steep hillside vines—terraced during Roman times. It was clear to the Romans that great wine could be made here and DNA evidence now shows that Syrah is in fact indigenous to the Rhône.
The terroir is predominantly granite and lastly, blends of the wines are mostly single grape varieties. Only four grape varieties are permitted in AOC blends: Syrah, Viogner, Marsanne, and Roussanne (as compared to the 19 permitted varieties allowed in Châteauneuf). The red wines are nearly all Syrah and Condrieu and Château Grillet must be 100% Viogner. The whites of Hermitage, Saint Joseph, Saint Péray, and Crozes-Hermitages may only be blends of Marsanne and Roussanne.
Barruol / Lynch France | Northern Rhône | Côte Rôtie
Jean-Claude Marsanne France | Northern Rhône | IGP Ardèche
Lionel Faury France | Northern Rhône | Collines Rhodaniennes
Lionel Faury France | Northern Rhône | Saint-Joseph
Lionel Faury France | Northern Rhône | Saint Joseph
Jean-Claude Marsanne France | Northern Rhône | Saint-Joseph
Jean-Claude Marsanne France | Northern Rhône | Saint-Joseph
Lionel Faury France | Northern Rhône | Saint-Joseph
Barruol / Lynch France | Northern Rhône | Hermitage
Jean-Claude Marsanne France | Northern Rhône | Crozes-Hermitage
Lionel Faury France | Northern Rhône | Condrieu
Barruol / Lynch France | Northern Rhône | Crozes Hermitage
You don’t have to be rich to cellar a great wine.
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