St. Cosme Condrieu

Description

Viognier can only achieve greatness when fully ripe – a character trait it shares with Marsanne which does not perform well when under-ripe. But ripeness must not imply excessive alcohol. This is what we tried to seek in 2015 balance. Matured for eight months in old Burgundy casks it finished its malolactic fermentation of course on fine lees. Maturation in Condrieu is always about the relationship between fine lees – which preserve fruit and freshness – and the top of the cask where the ratio of oxygen produces what I refer to as ‘inherent terroir revelation’. By this I mean that the way wines are fermented and matured must ultimately reveal their deep-seated character hence ‘revelation’. In the same way we solve a mathematic equation we have to carry out an investigation in order to solve the enigma thrown up by terroir – from the Latin resolvere to solve. Over a lengthy period of several months this tiny amount of oxygen often reveals the solution. Ageing should therefore n