2016 Condrieu

Not many wine lovers realize just how important white wines are at Guigal, where 25% of total production is in white. By contrast only 2% of total production in the Rhône valley is white wines. Perhaps even more impressive, this family-owned and -operated domain is responsible for almost a third of the total production of Condrieu. And a reliably excellent Condrieu it is, as is the high-end La Doriane bottling, which in many vintages is one the very best bottlings made from the appellation. Philippe Guigal admits that he has a bit of an obsession with white Hermitage and he's especially fussy about the luxe Ex-Voto bottling, a wine that he only bottles in exceptional vintages like 2015. The 2013 version, by the way, is still painfully young, but based on the bottle I drank last month it’s a genuine cellar treasure and, in the context of world-class white wines, a relative bargain that should easily reach its 30th birthday if well cellared.