Rich, Exotic, Heady, Perfumed... 50% Off
2007 Gaillard Condrieu
Big-Ticket Viognier, Small-Ticket Pricing
"Gaillard has a masterly hand for Viognier... His is one of the examples of Condrieu in which a mineral grittiness underlies the scented exoticism of the surface." - Andrew Jefford
If there is one word that best defines Viognier, it may be the word "exotic." Perhaps no other grape drips as much ripe fruit and floral perfume with a correlating rich creaminess on the palate.
Yet such extroversion can be tiring without a backbone, a story, and some notion of terroir behind it. This is where Pierre Gaillard steps in and delivers, as Jefford notes in The New France "a mineral grittiness" in his Viognier that is capable of intriguing, sip after sip.
Today, Gaillard's 2007 Condrieu is even more intriguing, as it comes in at $29.95 a bottle... 50% off the only other prices in the nation.
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Condrieu isn't a wine you can easily find, and when you do, it's usually priced as the rarity it is - that is to say, quite highly. "Affordable" and "Condrieu" aren't two words you're likely to hear together often, and perhaps that's due to the relative scarcity of Condrieu. A petite appellation comprised of just 98 hectares and dedicated fully to Viognier, the spot is home to tiny granite and sand terraces that, as Jefford asserts, create a wine of unparalleled "aromatic power and glycerous fullness."
Gaillard's 2007 Condrieu shows off that powerful varietal character of Viognier - classic notes of tropical banana, yellow peach and vanilla give way to a palate of honeyed apples and toasted caramel spice that seductively coat the mouth. Underneath it all is a clear structure and hint of mineral that prove Pierre Gaillard's acumen as a vigneron and winemaker. Though he's not (yet?) a household name, Pierre Gaillard gained big street cred and tuned-in winemaking savvy working alongside major Rhone players such as Yves Cuilleron and François Vaillard.
As we kick into spring, think of this wine as the heady bursting buds of the wine world. Don't worry about cellaring this - now is the perfect time to savor all those fruits and flowers blooming in full declaration of the fertile season. This wine is ready to drink now with any rich poultry or fish dish, but it's also one of the very few white wines that will hold its own with red meats. Our mind is on osso buco perked up with a springy gremolata.
With pricing at half that of anywhere else in the nation, our estimate is that this will be gone sooner than the flowers on the Magnolia tree. Please reply to this email or call the store at (212) 980-9463 to place your order.
Joe Salamone
Stephen Bitterolf
Wine Buyers
Crush Wine & Spirits
Compare at $58+
Gaillard Condrieu is in stock
NET | No further discount