Condrieu La Combe de Malleval, Domaine Stéphane Ogier 2020

The 2020 Condrieu La Combe De Malleval is terrific, offering gorgeously pure notes of grilled peach, white flowers, and crushed stone. Vibrant and racy, yet also concentrated on the palate, it has everything I look for in a great Condrieu. I like this today, yet it’s going to benefit from a year in bottle and evolve nicely through 2030. (Drink between 2023-2030)

Like the Viognier de Rosine, Ogier's 2020 Condrieu la Combe de Malleval aims at balance and freshness rather than richness, with an attractive bouquet of fresh florals, citrus and stone fruit around a core of pineapple. It's labeled at only 12.5% alcohol yet shows ample weight and a silky feel on the palate allied to a lingering, smooth finish.

Round, generous, tangy and sappy in style, yet it retains its freshness. More depth than many this year, but no excess weight, alcohol or oak. All vinified in Stockinger demi-muids, 40% new, malolatic completed. (Drink between 2022-2025)