DOMAINE DU MONTEILLET CONDRIEU LES GRANDES CHAILLÉES

Tasting notes:

Essence of Viognier, elegant, delicately perfumed, fresh and mineral with layers of flavour and complexity. Still young, this is still full of primary flavours, a true taste of Viognier and after 10 years will develop wonderfully honeyed secondary flavours.  

About the wine:

The Viognier grapes for Condrieu come from six parcels on superb terroirs in Chavanay, Saint Michel sur Rhône et Vérin. The Chaillées are the dry stone walls that support the terraced vines on the steep granite slopes. Grapes are destemmed with 9 hours of skin contact before a gentle pressing and fermentation in oak barriques and demi-muids. Careful battonage and aging for 11 months in 75% 1 and 2 year old fûts and 25% in new French oak demi-muids without racking or adding sulphur.

About the producer:

Stéphane Montez' family have been growing grapes in the Northern Rhône for ten generations and today have vineyards in Condrieu, Côte Rôtie and Saint-Joseph.

After formally studying winemaking, tenth generation vigneron Stéphane, not content with simply growing grapes as his forefathers had done, travelled to south Africa, Australia, California and even England to experience winemaking outside France, before returning to the family's vineyards to make wine from the grapes they had expertly tended, and which truly express the French terroir of the prime sites they own.

The winery was founded in 1732 and Stéphane, the young, talented and dynamic winemaker, took over the family vineyard in 1997.

Food match:

Match with grilled prawns, turbot with hollandaise, or a top notch macaroni cheese. It's just great wine, enjoy it!