2020 E. Guigal Condrieu Rhone Valley 750 ml

Condrieu stands alone.

No white wine in the world can quite match the intoxicatingly exotic aromatics, unctuous richness, and stony verve as the greats from this legendary—but tiny—Northern Rhône region. The whole appellation (420 acres) is smaller than Napa’s Stagecoach Vineyard (600 acres), which means it yields only a few superlative wines each year. And since the steep, granite slopes that characterize Condrieu can be near-impossible to work, the most enticing bottles often carry prices well into the triple-digits.

Enter Guigal, the peerless Rhône producer that is ALWAYS the first place we look for gorgeous Rhône wines. The winery is led by the man Robert Parker called “this planet’s greatest winemaker,” and every sip of their 2020 Condrieu is a singular experience. The kaleidoscopic aromatics, the sexy texture, and the bounty of exotic fruit married to refreshing brightness—it all shows why aficionados are constantly clamoring for white wines from this one-of-a-kind region.

In his memoir, legendary wine writer Hugh Johnson describes the experience of eating legendary chef Michel Bras’s signature dish, gargouillou—perhaps the world’s most famous and carefully composed salad. The only wine to pair with it? Condrieu, whose lilting flavors and richness-without-oakiness feel like the perfect spring day in a glass.

Condrieu is Viognier at its finest—it’s the reason vine cuttings from this tiny corner of the Northern Rhône have been planted in every corner of the vinous world. The appellation’s vertiginous granite slopes plunge towards the Rhône River, and they’re steep enough that tractors are not really an option for farming. Everything here must be done by hand—and when you sip this bottle, you’ll see that the spoils are well worth it.