Immediately south of Côte-Rôtie, in northern Rhône, Condrieu produces some of France's rarest white wine from the steep, terraced granite slopes where Viognier is exclusively planted. Great Condrieu is unctuously rich, with low acidity and a delicate perfume of peach and citrus blossom. A combination of low prices and hard labor on steep slopes has made Condrieu a commercially unrewarding wine in the past, though this has been changing. It is generally a wine to be drunk young, and it inspires devotion from people who fall under its spell.

Lately, efforts to produce more “serious” super cuvées of Condrieu have led to a fashion for barrel fermentation and wines with mildly oaky flavors. I am of two minds about using oak with Condrieu. It does produce a weightier, more obviously flavored wine, though at the expense of freshness and floral character. Undoubtedly, however, this is a good route to obtaining the necessary higher prices for such labor-intensive production. (Wine/Appellations)