Wines

A tiny production of just 3,500 bottles, this is a balanced Viognier that leans towards fresh fruit and acid, rather than any tropical notes. The grapes are sourced from a partially-terraced 1.05ha parcel in Verin, located 2km from Condrieu. The Malolactic fermentation is blocked, keeping a high level of acidity in this sharp expression of granite-infused soil. The dominant notes are white flowers, violets, with persistent minerality through the finish.

A tiny 0.32 hectare parcel high on the hill in Condrieu yields the fruit for this wine, which is among the most classic examples of Condrieu we’ve tasted. The vines are 35 years old, and neutral oak élevage allows the purity of the appellation to shine through. A mix of restrained fruit and subtle minerality make this a Condrieu that harkens back to versions we encountered at the outset of our career some thirty plus years ago when the beauty of the Viognier lay in its ethereal, ballet-like presence on the palate rather than in the power of its ripe (over-ripe?) fruit.

Gérard’s precise, mineral-driven “L’Arbuel” combines tiny holdings in two vineyards: a 0.18-hectare sliver in high-altitude Corbery, a cool, west-facing site with soils of granite and muscovite; and a 0.32 parcel in Marmouzin, slightly downslope, planted also in granite and muscovite. In order to achieve maximum equilibrium in his Condrieu, Xavier harvests his Viognier in two passes about ten days apart; the first pass gives acidity, and the second gives fruit. He also employs a portion of the wine from the final pressing, which contributes midpalate richness and a touch of structure-providing bitterness. Aged for 18 months primarily in older barrels with a portion in steel, the resulting wine is nimble and fresh, balancing its Viognier-typical notes of peaches and cream with a sense of nervy poise.

From the estate’s finest holding, situated in the middle of the slope overlooking the Rhône, this cuvée from the famed “Côte Châtillon” lieu-dit has long been the flagship Condrieu of Domaine Gérard. After fermentation in cuve, the wine spends one year in a mix of 500L and 225L barrels, the vast majority of which are old. The richness of the fruit is placed in balance by bright acidity, in a masterfully-controlled wine. A liveliness and notes of spice carry through the pleasing finish. We have also been fortunate to taste some older examples of this wine, which showed an excellent capacity for cellaring.

Xavier farms a parcel of massale-selection Gamay in Givors (in the Auvergne) planted in 1980 by his grandfather Pierre, and he produces a mere 2,000 bottles per vintage from this 0.35-hectare plot. Situated at 350 meters altitude, these pudding-stone-littered soils of reddish-brown clay (similar to those found in Crozes-Hermitage) render a wine of notable concentration and structure—a definitively Rhône version of the variety. Xavier employs one-third whole clusters in the vinification here, aging the wine in neutral 600-liter barrels of at least ten years of age and bottling it just prior to the following harvest. The name “Les Autrichiens” (“the Austrians”) is a historical reference: the hill upon which the vines are planted—part of Xavier’s grandfather’s farm—is also a burial site for a few Austrian soldiers who perished there during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871.

From a site down the road in Chavanay just south of Condrieu, a mere 2,000 bottles of this wine are produced annually, of which we will receive a small allotment of a few hundred bottles per year. A less feral-style red than the typical Saint-Joseph, this wine shows fine minerality and a refreshing fragrance, both floral and berry-like, with a compelling finesse.

An assemblage of the estate’s finest parcels, the single Côte-Rôtie cuvée produced at the Gérard domaine is sourced principally from the Mollard lieu-dit (65%) with the balance a mix of Font-Jean, Viallière, and La Landonne. At vinification, a significant portion is left whole clusters. This is a finer expression of the appellation than many of its counterparts along the slope, with a purity of fruit and finesse to the tannins. Although its profile is marked by a regal elegance that makes this wine seductively drinkable in its youth, older examples offer strong testimony that the Côte-Rôtie from Domaine Gérard has the capacity to provide a pure and tenacious expression of this noble terroir for decades in the bottle.

Xavier owns a tiny plot in the legendary parcel “Landonne”, which rests in the heart of the Côte-Rôtie appellation. Historically, his fruit was blended into his classic Côte-Rôtie until 2013, when he decided to bottle this small quantity separately. He is happy with the result and plans to continue to make this wine in stronger vintages. The grapes are fermented in small barrels without destemming and left to age for 2 years before bottling. More concentrated and structured than his regular cuvée, this wine will clearly benefit from more time in the cellar to soften its tannic edges. In years that merit production, only about 400 bottles are made.