2019 Condrieu Coteau de Chery

This comes from a single parcel of vines averaging 40 to 80 years in age. It’s fermented and matured in old oak (600-litre casks). Normally sold almost exclusively to restaurants in France, this top Condrieu cuvée is incredibly rare, with just two barrels made normally. The 2019 is gorgeous, just entering a perfect drinking window. The nose combines lifted apple blossom, ripe pear and honeysuckle. The palate is broad and mouth-filling, yet with a rush of stony freshness that drives through the palate. With air, richer stone fruit and honeyed tones emerge. There’s a lingering saline note on the finish. The wine plush yet tight, and very moreish. Will only improve over the next decade.