Domaine Louis Clerc Viognier 2013

Greenish-gold in color, limpid, with pale rosé highlights. Aromatic, fruity, apricot aromas, stone fruit aromas, with peach aromas on the nose. On the palate this wine is aromatic, rich, buttery, stone fruit hints, tropical fruit hints, honey hints, round, mineral, structured body, good intensity, good length.

Born in Tupin-et-Semons, a small village just north of Condrieu, Louis Clerc always knew he wanted to work in wine. He came however from a family of agriculturists who specialized not in grape but fruits, vegetables, herbs, and other marketable forms of produce. He went to school for agronomy and began his professional life working with fruit trees, where he stayed for many decades. However the dream of becoming a winemaker never left him. Finally in 1991, after much research and deliberation, he decided it was time. He purchased hectarage in both the Condrieu and Côte Rôtie appellation. For Condrieu he took parcels in Condrieu, Chavanay, and Malleval. His parcel for Côte Rôtie sits on a bit of land in Tupin-et-Semons. All combined AOC holding total only 3 hectares. He is also possessive of 1.5 ha constituted to VdP des Collines Rhodanienes. His cépages include only Viognier and Syrah. There is no Viognier co-fermented with the Syrah for the Côte Rôtie; there is however some co-plantation.