J. Vidal-Fleury Condrieu 2021

Founded in 1781, Vidal-Fleury is the Rhône Valley’s oldest continuing winery. Thomas Jefferson’s visit in 1787 was its first contact with the United States; he called the wines “justly celebrated”. During the 1890s, Gustave Vidal married a daughter of the Fleury family. Together they replanted the vineyard following the phylloxera outbreak. Then, in the 1920s, the House expanded into other wine-growing regions throughout the Rhône Valley. In 1984, the famed Guigal estate acquired the company. This step was a logical continuation for the Vidal-Fleury and Guigal families, who had always worked together. Indeed, Etienne Guigal (Marcel’s father) was hired as a vine-grower and cellar master by Joseph Vidal-Fleury in 1924. When the Vidal-Fleury family decided to sell the House, they naturally turned to the Guigal family. As result, the company remains family-run. Vidal-Fleury is managed in absolute independence with its own winemaking, logistics and commercial team.  

In 2006 Vidal-Fleury began investing to modernize its winery facilities, installing state-of-the-art technology; in 2008, it built a new cellar specifically dedicated to maturing the wines. In addition, Vidal-Fleury’s vineyards are overseen with 100% self-sustaining management practices. Long considered one of the most respected producers in the Rhône Valley, Vidal-Fleury carries on under the watchful management of Head Winemaker Guy Sarton du Jonchay.   

This gorgeous Condrieu is made of 100% Viognier from steeply terraced southeast facing vineyards. Soils are thin and made up of granite rocks and calcareous clay. Vines are densely planted at an average of 6,000 vines per hectare average yields around 37hl/ha. These vineyards sit at an elevation between 200-350 meters. Grapes are hand picked in mid-October, sorted, pressed and fermented at cool temperatures in a combination of stainless steel tanks (50%) and oak barrels (50%). The juice is fermented solely with indigenous yeasts with 100% of the must undergoing malolactic fermentation. The wine is aged for 12 months on its lees, clarified naturally and lightly filtered followed by an additional 6 months aging in bottle prior to release. 

The Viognier grape is perfectly at home here, producing a wine that is rich, smooth and supple but also deliciously fresh. Highly perfumed, it showcases floral aromas, backed by notes of apricot and exotic fruits. The palate is long, with fine minerality. Medium-bodied, the wine has a good concentration and a fresh, focused, elegant style. It will evolve in the next 4-5 years at least. Condrieu is historically known to age for 10-20 years in great vintages.