#Condrieu Le Grand Vallon, François #Villard 2020

This is delicious! Good honeysuckle, melon and peach fruit on the nose with some chipped granite to add a bit more interest. It smells like it has some density, but it's not at all heavy.

That's reflected on the palate as well. Great floral fruit with a weight and density to it but kept ethereally winsome by very good acidity, a loads of chipped rock and a brilliant savoury character that grabs the edges of one's palate. It's umami-tastic!

That savoury feeling is enhanced by a grind of fresh pepper on the finish that is, like the rest of the finish I suppose, highly engaging.

It has poise, restraint and structure, all underpinned by good fruit, solid acidity and a complex melange of rock, pepper and umami/savoury charm. Just lovely!

This would be fabulous with #sushi and smoked trout.

#wine #Viognier #Rhone #NorthernRhône #RhoneWhites #RhoneWhiteWines #sushiwines #winetasting

I'm having this #Villard #Condrieu Le Grand Vallon 2020 as an aperitif tonight. It's grown on an East-facing slope in Condrieu so it gets less sun than most Condrieu vineyards. Consequently, it's supposedly lighter with higher acidity-levels and more pronounced minerality than the seemingly ever boozier wines of the appellation (I've got a #Perret Condrieu in the wine fridge claiming to be 15%! Hell's bells!).

Alas, my mind is not firing on all cylinders, as SAD is affecting me with nasty effect, so I don't think I can manage a full review on Elitistreview.com , but I shall share some thoughts on here.

I'm really excited about drinking it! I rarely drink Condrieu and it'll be a real treat to have a more elegant, mineral example (even though I also enjoy more lubricious examples). I'll report back later! #wine #viognier #Rhone #NorthernRhone #RhoneWhites

I'm generally not a fan of growing "international varieties" in #Italy when Italy has so many #indigenous grape varieties ... but it's hard to look at this map of the #NorthernRhone relative to #Piedmont and the #AostaValley and NOT wonder about the #CoolClimate possibilities for just one international grape exception in particular ...

#Syrah