Viognier

Condrieu's grape — peach, honeysuckle, full-bodied.

Viognier nearly went extinct in the 1960s — the home appellation Condrieu in the Northern Rhône had less than 30 hectares planted. A 1980s and 90s revival, including significant New World plantings in California, Australia, and Virginia, brought the grape back. Wines show ripe peach, apricot, honeysuckle, and sometimes a bitter-almond finish, with full body and modest acidity. Northern Rhône tradition co-ferments small percentages of Viognier with Syrah in Côte-Rôtie for aromatic lift.