58 Condrieu AC 2008 Verchery
Domaine Clusel-Roch

Grape:100% Viognier (14% alc.)

It is refreshing and increasingly rare to find a balanced, elegant Condrieu such as this. It originates from a vineyard that straddles the two fine lieu-dits of Côteaux de Vernon and Chéry, where the soil is derived from a granite mother rock. Using indigenous yeasts, aged and vinified in a mix of one to four year old barrels (2/3 ) and in cuve (1/3), this is lighter than Perret and Pichon’s Condrieu, with perfect balance, good acidity and mineral imprint. For drinking now to 2013+.

Technical Information
Winemaker:	Brigitte Roch & Gilbert Clusel
Location:	Verenay
Size of domaine:	4½ hectares (½ hectare only of Condrieu)
Grape:	100% Viognier planted in 1985. Produce 6 barrels on average.
Terroir:	Vineyard straddles fine lieu-dits of Côteau de Vernon & Chéry. Decomposed granite, rapid filtering soils, very hot climate.
Viticulture:	Soils are ploughed. Prune short, debud. No chemical manure or fertilizers used; nor any chemical weedkillers or fungicides. Yield of just 28 hectos per hectare. Only ripe grapes selected - any over grapes are sorted and rejected.
Vinification:	Use indigenous yeasts only. Use an ancient vertical press. The wine is left to settle for 24 hours then 2/3 is transferred to 225ltr barrels (new to 4 years old). Elevage sur lie, with the malo-lactic carried out in the spring. The wine is assembled and then fined and lightly filtered by kieselghur before bottling (usually in September after 1 year).
Press:

 

qty (bottles)

exc vat: £29.36