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Condrieu 2009 Laurent Betton
Condrieu 2009 Laurent Betton
Bottle Price: £29.50
Case Price: £336.3
- Country: France
- Region: Rhone-Alpes
- Grape Variety: Viognier
- Alcohol: 14.5%
- Bottle Size: 75cl
or
You can mix any 12 bottles of wine(or more) to get the ‘case price’ for each bottle.
Pronounced nose and flavours of white flowers, violets and peaches - typical Northern Rhone Viognier. Rich and full with acacia on the finish.
Have with: charcuterie, smoked meats and fish, artichoke salads
Laurent Betton - Condrieu
St Joseph, Rhône
Domaine Betton is situated at the top of the Côte in St Joseph, the highest point of the Appellation, with views overlooking the majestic Rhône river which stretches far below. Just a step out the back door and you enter the vines of Laurent Betton.
He is a young producer who has been making wines for a relatively short time, with his first vintage in the late 1990s. He sells two thirds of his grapes to the Guigal winery, which enables him to spend time on and attention to his own two cuvees, both of which are screaming for attention.
The Condrieu, which is made in three different parcels - one third in tank, one third in new oak and one third in two year old barrels - is consistently well reviewed. The St Joseph (only three barrels are produced each year) is made and matured in the very small cellar beneath the family house. It's full-bodied with spice and dark red fruits.
An area of world famous vineyards which starts south of Lyon at Ampuis and runs down to the Côtes de Provence. Grape types include Grenache, Syrah, Mourvédre, Cinsault, Marsanne and Roussanne and these produce wines of immense pedigree and quality, including the dark purple Côte Rotie wines and the fruity Viognier.
The northern Rhône is characterised by a continental climate with harsh winters but warm summers. Its climate is influenced by the mistral wind, which brings colder air from the Massif Central. Northern Rhône is therefore cooler than southern Rhône, which means that the mix of planted grape varieties and wine styles are slightly different.
Syrah is the only red grape variety permitted in red AOC wines from this sub-region. For wines bearing the Cornas AOC designation, Syrah must be used exclusively, whereas other reds from the northern Rhône sub-region may be blended with white wine grapes, either Viognier or Marsanne and Roussanne, depending on the appellation. However, while this is allowed by the AOC rules, blending with white grapes is only widely practiced for Côte-Rôtie.
Viognier by itself is used for white wines from Condrieu and Château-Grillet. Marsanne and Roussanne are in turn used for the whites from Crozes-Hermitage, Hermitage, Saint Joseph, and Saint Péray.
From north to south the appellations in the northern Rhône are:
• Côte-Rôtie AOC - reds of Syrah and up to 20% Viognier.
• Condrieu AOC - whites of Viognier only.
• Château-Grillet AOC - whites of Viognier.
• Saint-Joseph AOC - reds of Syrah and up to 10% Marsanne and Roussanne; whites of only Marsanne and Roussanne.
• Crozes-Hermitage AOC - reds of Syrah and up to 15% Marsanne and Roussanne; whites of only Marsanne and Roussanne.
• Hermitage AOC - reds of Syrah and up to 15% Marsanne and Roussanne; whites of only Marsanne and Roussanne.
• Cornas AOC - reds of Syrah only.
• Saint-Péray AOC - sparkling and still whites of only Marsanne and Roussanne.
Northern Rhône reds are often identified by their signature aromas of green olive and smoky bacon
