Gaillard’s Condrieu is drawn from four parcels grown on the terraced slopes of Côte Bellay, Les Patasses (Malleval), Boissey (Chavanay) and La Caille (Condrieu). Each of these sites has soils of fine, decomposing granite. In 2020, the vines here yielded 30 hl/ha of vibrant Viognier fruit, and the wine spent seven months in oak, of which 10% was new. One of our favourite aspects of Gaillard’s whites is their ability to combine intense aromatics and ripe, hedonistic textures with bright mineral refreshment, and this is a textbook example of that paradox. It’s a classically alluring, richly textured Condrieu with scents and flavours of honeysuckle and juicy, macerated peach and spice. It combines the year’s flesh and generosity with juicy buoyancy, great length and a very long, stony finish.

Biodynamic. The standard of Weinbach’s Pinot has gone through the roof. There are now five single-vineyard Pinots in the range. The Clos des Capucins bottling leans towards early-ish drinking, with quality pitched towards the village-level wines of Burgundy. Stylistically, it can equally resemble the high-grown Pinots from the Jura or even the best German Pinots as much as those of the Côte d’Or. The fruit fermented spontaneously with 20% bunches and spent about 20 days on skins. It was raised in mature Burgundy barrels for 14 months before being bottled unfiltered. The result is a beautiful expression of Pinot Noir, combining subtle tannins, refreshing texture and a mouth-watering, powdery close. This is very, very good—a unique and terrific alternative to Burgundy.