2020 Condrieu, l'Arbuel, Xavier Gérard, Rhône

Domaine Xavier Gerard

Situated in the commune of Meursault, Burgundy, Domaine Xavier is a relatively small, family-owned winery known for its excellent Chardonnay wines. The family has a deep-rooted connection to the land and is committed to producing wines that reflect the characteristics of their vineyard sites.

The vineyard plots are situated in the Meursault appellation, renowned for its limestone-rich soils, which contribute to the unique minerality and complexity found in the wines produced in this region.

The estate follows traditional winemaking practices, respecting the natural expression of the grapes and the terroir. The winemaking approach involves minimal intervention to allow the unique characteristics of each vintage and vineyard to shine through in the final wines.

Like many boutique Burgundian estates, Domaine Xavier Gerard has relatively small vineyard holdings, resulting in limited production. The wines, however, are known for their richness, complexity, and ability to age gracefully.

Viognier

A white grape variety originating in the Northern Rhône and which in the last ten years has been increasingly planted in the Southern Rhône and the Languedoc.

It is a poor-yielding grape that is notoriously fickle to grow, being susceptible to a whole gamut of pests and diseases. Crucially it must be picked at optimum ripeness - if harvested too early and under-ripe the resulting wine can be thin, dilute and unbalanced, while if picked too late then the wine will lack the grape's distinctive peach and honeysuckle aroma. It is most successfully grown in the tiny appellations of Château-Grillet and Condrieu where it thrives on the distinctive arzelle granite-rich soils. It is also grown in Côte Rôtie where it lends aromatic richness to the wines when blended with Syrah.

Viognier has been on the charge in the Southern Rhône and the Languedoc throughout the 1990s and is now a key component of many white Côtes du Rhône. In Languedoc and Rousillon it is increasingly being bottled unblended and with notable success with richly fragrant wines redolent of overripe apricots and peaches and selling at a fraction of the price of their Northern Rhône cousins.