2017 E. Guigal Condrieu La Doriane 750 ml

Condrieu’s Finest: Guigal’s La Doriane

When we get our hands on E. Guigal’s La Doriane, it doesn’t last long. One of the most iconic white wines in the world, from the winemaker Robert Parker called the “World’s Greatest,” La Doriane is the kind of bottle that, once opened, will have every guest at the party racing toward it with their glasses outstretched. Guigal’s signature magic is sprinkled all over this luxurious 2017 Condrieu La Doriane—a white of immense power and complexity. If you’ve never experienced what is arguably the most emblematic Condrieu out there, now’s the time.

Grown on vertigo-inducing slopes rich in granitic shale and limestone deposits at the tip of the Rhône Valley, when we have to hang our hat on a single Condrieu, it’s this one. With just 475 acres of vines planted, Condrieu is one of the world’s viticultural gems. The vertiginous granitic slopes are incredibly difficult to farm, but, in the right hands, yield one of the world’s truly special white wines—unctuous, golden bottlings that combine the complexity and finesse of white Burgundy with juicy, ripe peach and apricot flavors in compelling, age-worthy bottles.

Guigal meticulously crafted this opulent wine from Viognier grapes sourced from the very best vineyards in Condrieu, and the results impressed Jeb Dunnuck to the tune of 97 points. The Rhône expert called this release a  “blockbuster,” gushing “it just might be the wine of the vintage.”

Robert Parker’s Advocate also heaped on the praise, giving La Doriane 96 points for being a  “silky-textured beauty,” “plush and opulent,” and “loaded with flowers, melons and apricots.”

But perhaps James Suckling may have stated it best in his one-word decree: “Immaculate.”

If the soil deserves credit for its pronounced mineral vein, Guigal’s unconventional approach to aging “La Doriane” in 100% new French oak for an entire year delivers a remarkably complex, richly textured, and age-worthy white.

The 2017 release bears both hallmarks of the vintage—sky-high quality and scarce quantity. Spring frosts hit the Rhone hard, shrinking yields initially but eventually resulting in a crop of immense concentration, complexity, and class. The extravagant 2017 La Doriane shows all those characteristics, plus a little something extra—we call it Marcel’s Midas touch. Perfectly cellared and drawn directly from the Guigal estate, we’ll be stashing a few away for ourselves, and hope you will too.