Guigal La Doriane Condrieu 2017
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Brilliant clear pale golden yellow. Notes of white flowers, apricot, and white peaches. Intensely powerful and elegant aromas. Freshness, round, rich and full-bodied on the palate. Fully expressive of the terroir. Great finesse and freshness. A pleasant light acidity is well balanced with round fleshy fruitiness.
This wine is great as an aperitif, or paired either foie gras, scrambled egg with truffles, or delicate fish.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Bottled at the end of June and brought up in new barrels, the blockbuster 2017 Condrieu La Doriane is up there with the crème de la crème, and just might be the wine of the vintage in the region. Stunning notes of buttered peach, crème brûlée, white flowers, and honeysuckle all literally soar from the glass. Deep, rich, medium to full-bodied and powerful, like the base cuvée, it stays incredibly pure and elegant. Drink bottles over the coming 4-5 years. Don’t miss it.
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James Suckling
The concentration of fruit in this wine is always staggering. Such impressive depth and power. Deeply ripe, rich, apricot and peach aromas with a citrus, grapefruit edge and plenty of hazelnut oak. The palate is densely flavored, super-long and packed with ripe mangoes, apricots and peaches. Immaculate. Drink or hold.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Slightly more forward and flamboyant than the more classically structured 2016, the 2017 Condrieu la Doriane is full-bodied, plush and opulent, loaded with flowers, melons and apricots. Yes, the oak is noticeable, but it adds a relatively restrained note of toasted almonds, serving to focus and lift the waves of succulent fruit. I'd drink this silky-textured beauty over the next few years, while it's still as showy as can be.
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Wine Spectator
Intense, with a honeyed edge, this maintains drive throughout, featuring intense apricot, nectarine and peach fruit flavors, lined with mouthwatering bitter orange and anise notes. The long, unctuous finish has serious cut to match.
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Wine Enthusiast
Classic in style, this exuberant, perfumed Viognier fills the air with aromas of orange blossom, peach and honey. While weighty and textured, it’s lifted by a vein of tangerine acidity and lingering notes of bitter nut skins and vanilla. This lovely wine should drink well through 2027. Vintus LLC. Editors’ Choice.
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Wine & Spirits
From a range of parcels in Condrieu and aged in new oak for 12 months, this tastes like autumn in its golden flavors, the peach and pear fruit soft and scented with warm spice. A leesy richness gives the wine a creamy fullness as well as a fine grip; it has the structure to stand up to rich dishes, like a crown roast of pork with roasted apples.
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The Guigal domain was founded in 1946 by Etienne Guigal in the ancient village of Ampuis, home of the wines of the Côte-Rôtie. In these vineyards that are over 2400 years old, you can still see the small terraced walls characteristic of the Roman period. Etienne Guigal arrived in this region in 1923 at the age of 14. He made wine for over 67 vintages and, at the beginning of his career, participated in the development of the Vidal-Fleury establishment.
Despite his young age, Marcel Guigal took over from his father in 1961 when the latter was victim to a brutal illness rendering him blind. Marcel's hard work and perseverance enabled the Guigals to buy out Vidal-Fleury in 1984, although the establishment retains its own identity and commercial autonomy. In 2000, the Guigals purchased the Jean-Louis Grippat estate in Saint-Joseph and Hermitage, as well as the Domaine de Vallouit in Côte-Rôtie, Hermitage, Saint-Joseph and Crozes-Hermitage.
In the cellars of the Guigal estate in Ampuis, the northern appellations of the Rhône Valley are produced and aged. These are the appellations of Côte-Rôtie, Condrieu, Hermitage, Saint-Joseph and Crozes-Hermitage. The great appellations of the Southern Rhône, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Gigondas, Tavel and Côtes-du-Rhône, are also aged in the Ampuis cellars.
Full-figured and charmingly floral, Viognier is one of the most important white grapes of the northern Rhône where it is used both to produce single varietal wines and as an important blending grape. Look for great New World examples from California, Oregon, Washington and cooler parts of Australia. Somm Secret—Viognier plays a surprisingly important role in the red wines of Côte Rôtie in the northern Rhône. About 5% Viognier is typically co-fermented with the Syrah in order to stabilize the color, and as an added benefit, add a subtle perfume.
As the source of some of the most vibrant and powerful white wines in France, Condrieu is uniquely situated in one of the northern outposts of the Rhone River. It is the original Viognier appellation with a wine growing history reaching back well over two thousand years. Like most of the wine regions of the Northern Rhone, Condrieu’s vines grow on extremely steep and narrow granite terraces. But what makes the region unique is a topsoil, locally called, “arzelle,” made of decomposed mica. This and a sheltering of the harsh northern winds, make optimal sites to produce opulent and brilliant Viognier. It is a tiny zone with no room for expansion and produces miniscule amounts of wine each year, contributing to its allure.
A fine Condrieu will have aromas and flavors suggestive of ripe stone fruit, lime peel, green almond, ginger, white flowers and toasted nuts. A honeyed smell may mislead you to think the wine will be sweet but the modern style favors totally dry on the palate. Its texture will be full and soft but a touch of mineral will provide great balance.