E. Guigal

Condrieu 2019

Condrieu

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Condrieu is one of the most exotic and distinctive wines in the world, with its intense aromatics and flavors of apricots, white peach and citrus, and its luscious, almost umami body. It happens to come from a dramatically steep area, and one so small that were it not for several influential people, Marcel Guigal among them, the appellation and its Viognier grape would have been swallowed by history.

Vineyard

The tiny, parcelated appellation (500 acres total) is located on steep granite hillsides beginning at a bend in the Rhône river just south of Côte Rôtie and continuing intermittently about 12 miles further south. The granite hillsides have sand intermixed in their soils, and the vines for this wine average aroudn 30 years of age, and only produce around 2.4 tons of fruit per acre.

Winemaking

After hand harvesting and sorting, 1/3 of the wine was fermented in new barrels, which it aged in for 8 months. The rest was fermented and aged in stainless steel. The wine underwent malolactic fermentation.

Vintage

2019 looks to be a nearly perfect vintage in the Northern Rhône. Following a cool spring, flowering was normal, setting a normal crop – a relief after two short harvests. Hail impacted Crozes Hermitage, but vineyards further north were not impacted. July was the hottest on record in the Rhône, but August brought some welcome rain leading into a warm and even September with perfect harvest conditions. Guigal harvested their Condrieu vineyards between September 10th and 20th, bringing in concentrated fruit with excellent acidity – better balance than even the excellent 2018.

Tasting Note

Brilliant pale gold. The perfume (you can only call it that) has intense notes of violets, apricot, white peach, and citrus. Fresh and round on the palate, you feel the fat, the richness, yet the wine is so intensely dry and mineral. A harmony between freshness and fleshy roundness. A remarkable minerality.

Color

White

Grape Varieties

Viognier

Appellation

Condrieu

Suggested Retail Price

$68.00

Reviews

"A textbook Condrieu"

Jeb Dunnuck - November 23, 2020 "The base Condrieu from Guigal always delivers and the 2019 Condrieu is stunning stuff, giving up a beautiful bouquet of ripe nectarines, orange blossom, honeysuckle, and exotic flowers. Just classic Condrieu in every way, it's medium to full-bodied, with remarkable purity, a fleshy opulence, and a great, clean finish. Readers looking for a textbook Condrieu can't go wrong with this." 

"Delicious young"

Wine Enthusiast - July 6, 2021

Editors' Choice 

"Notes of candied grapefruit peel, lilac and apricot perfume this bright, sunny Viognier. While fermented and matured in one-third new oak, it balances smoky, spicy, vanilla-cream richness well against pristine tangerine and white-peach flavors, with an invigorating lift of tangerine acidity on the finish. Delicious young, the wine should gain honeyed nuances." - A.I.

More on E. Guigal Condrieu 2019

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Trade Materials

Other Wines by this Producer

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Côtes du Rhône Blanc

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Côtes du Rhône Rosé

The Guigal family has made serious dry rosé wines since the 1940s, and their Côtes du Rhône Rosé, like all their Côtes du Rhône wines, is humble in name only. The wine bursts with irresistible fresh red fruits and yet is also serious and satisfying. While this Rosé is always a lovely aperitif, its intensity and richness make it perfect for the table, and it pairs well with all manner of cuisines. And starting with the 2020 vintage, the wine has a stunning new proprietary bottle: a subtle enhancement for an already elegant wine!

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Saint-Joseph Lieu Dit Rouge

Saint-Joseph

A result of its quality, Guigal’s Saint-Joseph Lieu Dit Rouge comes from the “Saint-Joseph” vineyard that gives the appellation its name. This site convinced the Guigals to work in Saint-Joseph and help to restore the historic perception of Saint-Joseph as an appellation of utmost quality. The 100% Syrah wine has complex and deep black fruit, floral, spice and mineral characteristics. Despite its concentration and powerful attack, the wine retains the trademark elegance that Saint-Joseph offers.

Saint-Joseph Lieu Dit Blanc

Saint-Joseph

A result of its quality, Guigal’s Saint-Joseph Blanc Lieu Dit comes from the “Saint-Joseph” vineyard that gives the appellation its name. This site convinced the Guigals to work in Saint-Joseph and help to restore the historic perception of Saint-Joseph as an appellation of utmost quality. Saint-Joseph Blanc is a serious wine, with weight and complexity, and is deeply reflective of its vineyard sites. A seamless balance of freshness and fruitiness, pleasure and interest, and flavors and structure. Guigal’s specialty in whites is especially evident in this wine, as it is almost a deceptively serious wine.

Ermitage Ex Voto Blanc

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Ermitage Ex Voto Rouge

Hermitage

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Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc

Châteauneuf-du-Pape

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Condrieu La Doriane

Condrieu

La Doriane is a luxury cuvée of Condrieu that the Guigals have produced since the 1994 vintage. A great success since the first vintage, the wine always seems richly oaked and very fruity when young, transforming in 3-4 years into a seamlessly complex, aromatic and vibrant wine. La Doriane contradicts the accepted wisdom that Condrieu does not age well.