2016 Condrieu Invitare

Limpid yellow. Lively, sharply focused aromas of fresh citrus and pit fruits and pungent flowers. A firm spine of acidity supports juicy tangerine and white peach flavors that deepen steadily as the wine opens up. A chalky mineral note adds cut to a nervy, sharply focused, persistent finish that leaves a zesty citrus fruit note behind.

The base-level Condrieu is the 2016 Condrieu Invitare, which comes from vines throughout the appellation (more from the northern part). It's a great wine for readers looking to understand Condrieu and has classic notes of apricots, citrus blossom and distinct minerality, with the richness the variety is known for, while staying fresh and lively. It will keep for 4-5 years. Enough can’t be said about the quality coming from the estate of Michel Chapoutier. Taking over the domaine from his father in the late 1980s (his first vintage was 1989), Michel quickly moved the estate completely to bio-dynamic farming as well as building a new, state of the art winery located just outside of Tain l’Hermitage. These are classic, traditionally made wines that are never acidified (or chaptalized), are brought up mostly in demi-muids (with plenty of used oak), and bottled unfined and unfiltered. He also continues to grow the brand (this is easily one of the largest tastings I do every year from a single producer) and has added two new Côte Rôties in 2015, the Quatuor and Neve cuvees. The Quatuor is reserved for grapes that didn’t make it into the selection parcellaire releases, and the Neve comes from a single parcel in the northern part of the appellation. Both are impressive wines, although I don’t envy anyone trying to explain the full portfolio to buyers in the market. In addition, while it’s easy to focus on the top cuvées from this estate, the portfolio is packed with incredible values at just about every price point. These reviews focus on the 2015 and 2016 vintages, with all the 2015s tasted out of bottle and the majority of the 2016s still resting in barrel. The 2015 vintage is a monumental one for this estate and matches (and in a few cases, eclipses) what was accomplished in 2009 and 2010. These are ripe, concentrated, structured wines that are going to demand cellar time. In contrast, the 2016s are more elegant and silky, with terrific purity of fruit. They don’t have the sheer grandeur of fruit found in the 2015s, yet are seriously concentrated and have no shortage of tannins and structure.

The 2016 Condrieu Invitare is fresh, clean and balanced, avoiding any of the oiliness that can sometimes creep into Viognier. Lightly floral on the nose, it shows honeydew and apricot flavors, medium to full body, and hints of white pepper and tannin on the long finish. It should drink well for several years.