Maison Tardieu-Laurent Condrieu

It took just a few days…few days to oscillate a vintage between a « Great Vintage » and a « Complex vintage ».
However, the winter, finally « classic », rocked by a fairly rigorous cold, pushed back any risk of spring frost.
The vegetative cycle was regularly watered by abundant rains. The diseases were putting pressure on the vinegrowers !
Nonetheless, the experience of the 2018, year with high mildew, still engraved in the vinegrowers’memory, made it possible for them to carefully control this pressure.
The vinegrowers serenly entered the summer season, with good water reserves and a beautiful harvest in perspective.
Moreover, rare fact, the summer granted us a few days of mild rain.
On August 15th, the rhodanien vineyards were healthy and green. The vinegrowers were rejoicing as everything was a hallmark to a “Great Vintage”.
Unfortunately, as is often the case over the last few years, Mother Nature decided otherwise. For a couple of days, the French vineyards, and most particularly the Rhône’s suffered a wave of extreme heat.
Leaving little chance to the grapes of the young vines and early ripening terroirs.
Only old vines, and not even all, of low yield, on protected terroirs and late ripening, found resilience in getting their berries to optimal ripeness.
The catastrophe was avoided. However, the qualities were very heterogeneous, even amongst the most experienced cellars….
Once again, our meticulous work of selection will have found all its meaning this year!
There is a familiarity in the southern whites with a little more ostentatious density.
The quality of the reds are also varied from one appellation to the next and within the same appellation. A vintage that reminds us of the 2016 for the more successful wines.
And a “special” mention for the North of the North!

Paton, Lys de Volan, la Bonnette, Rochecourbe, Les Rivoires, Merlant

Fermented and aged 10 months in newand one year old barrels
Allier and Tronçais, Jupille