Yves Cuilleron Condrieu La Petite Côte

Description

This excellent wine made from 100% Viognier grapes is complex with aromas and flavours of ripe citrus fruits, peach, apricot and quince underpinned by hints of spring flowers – rose and violet – and just a touch of honey. There is also a crisp minerality which balances the luscious fruit flavours.

In the space of a decade, Yves Cuilleron has established himself as one of the leading lights of France’s Northern Rhône region. He’s a modernist, but not overly so: his wines neatly straddle the divide between traditionalists and the avant-garde innovators.

His ‘Petite Cote’, one of four Condrieus, is grown using practices that are as close to organic as the climate will allow. The hand-picked grapes are fermented using wild yeasts to retain the characteristic flavour of the grape and are then left on the lees to add texture. Attention to detail and consummate passion combine to make, according to one commentator, one of the best Viogniers on the planet – who are we to argue?

This wine is a perfect match for all fish dishes.