Wine from Condrieu

Condrieu is a French wine region located in Northern Rhone. Condrieu translates to “corner of the stream”, which correlates to the location of the area along the bends in the Rhone River. Condrieu consists of approximately nine miles of the Rhone, with seven villages:  Condrieu, Verin, Saint Pierre de Boeuf, Saint Michel Sur Rhone, Malleval, Limony, and Chavanay. Condrieu is entirely devoted to Viognier. Condrieu whites are full-bodied with soft aromas. Production is notoriously small due to the heavy winds from the North. This causes severe crop damage, which also makes the area exceptionally expensive to cultivate. The soil of the area is mainly granite along with chalk, flint and mica and situated on Southeast facing slopes. The terrain is steep, thus forcing the harvest to be done by hand. The location also allows for longer periods of sunlight, which produces a rich and ripe wine.