2012 Condrieu Les Chaillets

(one-third new oak): Greenish gold. Intense, mineral-accented aromas of lemon curd, orange peel and violet, with a subtle smoky nuance coming out with aeration. Sappy, focused citrus fruit and pear flavors are lifted by a zesty mineral quality and pick up honey and anise notes with air. Chewy, gripping and refreshingly bitter on the penetrating finish, which lingers with impressive tenacity and mineral-driven persistence.

Slightly richer, with more texture, the 2012 Condrieu les Chaillets offers beautiful notes of ripe peaches, citrus, vanilla bean and hints of cream. Coming from the oldest vines of the estate and barrel fermented and aged, it flows onto the palate with medium-bodied richness and depth, beautiful purity and a big finish. Yves releases two cuvees from Cornas, and I found the quality consistent in 2012, yet preferred the Vires release by a fair margin in 2011. There are three Saint Joseph cuvees in red: the Les Pierres Seches, which comes from sand and granite soils around the town of Chavanay; the L'Amarybelle, which comes from high density, terraced plantings of older vines; and lastly, the Les Serines, which comes from the oldest vines of the estate and is the only cuvee to see new oak. Importer: Rosenthal Wine Merchant Ltd., Pine Plains, NY; tel. (800) 910-1990

Slightly richer, with more texture, the 2012 Condrieu les Chaillets offers beautiful notes of ripe peaches, citrus, vanilla bean and hints of cream. Coming from the oldest vines of the estate and barrel fermented and aged, it flows onto the palate with medium-bodied richness and depth, beautiful purity and a big finish. ||Yves releases two cuvees from Cornas, and I found the quality consistent in 2012, yet preferred the Vires release by a fair margin in 2011. There are three Saint Joseph cuvees in red: the Les Pierres Seches, which comes from sand and granite soils around the town of Chavanay; the L'Amarybelle, which comes from high density, terraced plantings of older vines; and lastly, the Les Serines, which comes from the oldest vines of the estate and is the only cuvee to see new oak. Wine Advocate.December, 2013