“In a class by itself.” – Karen MacNeil

Indeed. And per Decanter, it’s really “not expensive for a Condrieu of this quality” but they mean at the full $78! Under $50 with 97 points is daylight robbery for this PEARL of the Rhône.

When we got our first allocation of Billon (the ex-Guigal grower and winemaker!), we were head over heels in love with that Côte-Rôtie, and it disappeared quickly as a Friday App Exclusive. Naturally, we went back to ask for more Billons and were able to patch together the producer spotlight that you see live in the Store today.

The Wine Cellar Insider puts this crazy deal into perspective, “Condrieu is the most famous, white wine producing appellation in the entire Northern Rhône Valley. And with good reason. The wines of Condrieu are fresh, vibrant, mineral-driven, rich, and often oily-textured, rich, concentrated wines that showcase ripe, summer fruit sensations with subtle honeysuckle or floral accents. Plus, they are well priced too!” And once again, Jeff is talking about $75-100+ for a decent Condrieu. Not for a profound hidden gem that’s “pleasingly dry, despite the intensity of sweet fruit on the tongue” for a previous vintage rated highly on Decanter, that’s “from lieu-dit La Caille, which is south and south-west facing, this was fermented then matured in barriques.”

Mic to The Wall Street Journal for definitive advice; “Fine wine enthusiasts who don’t know Condrieu should get to know it. For a unique appellation with high-production costs, the prices aren’t “that crazy,” particularly in contrast to the nosebleed levels fetched for wines produced in Burgundy or Napa Valley… Viognier, the grape of Condrieu (which happens to have the same parent as Syrah, its Northern Rhône counterpart) is now grown in many parts of the world, most notably California and Australia. The grape delivers a wine that is opulent, creamy, and aromatic, with flavors of light-fleshed stone and tropical fruits and spice. Produced outside of Condrieu, the wine can express too much of Viognier’s aromatics, without the minerality, harmony, and freshness found in the Northern Rhône.”

Just as we have, they also conclude that “It’s possible to like Condrieu even if you’re not a huge fan of Viognier. When Viognier is grown on this particular sequence of airy granite slopes - particularly the dark biotite granite at the heart of the appellation - it takes on a salinity and intensity that helps to balance the variety’s natural propensity to corpulence… It’s not for everyone, admittedly. But for those of us who love it, nothing compares – just one sniff, and we know we’re in for a treat.”

Treat yourself, before it’s gone.

97 Points – Karen MacNeil’s WineSpeed “The wine village of Condrieu is one of the tiniest appellations in all of France, and Viognier (the signature grape there) is one of the most difficult wines to make. Get it wrong, and the wine smells like Duty Free perfume. Get it right, and the wine’s soaring, rich aromas are kaleidoscopic and stunning. Billon Christophe’s Condrieu is like standing in a meadow by the sea where the very air seems intoxicatingly fresh. “Les Matisses” is a reference to the name of the vineyard. This wine is alive, vibrant, and in a class by itself.”