There are just 500 acres of vines in the French appellation of Condrieu – it’s very petite – and the only grape allowed to grow there is a specific clone of Viognier.

A different Viognier clone is used throughout the rest of the world, but these ‘old world’ ones are said to produce particularly special wines, and as a result, Viogniers from tiny Condrieu have a little bit of an aura.

Most reviewers agree the majority of Condrieu’s wines should be enjoyed within 3 years of bottling, so we were right on schedule with this example.

And what a lovely one it is.  It’s named after Aphrodite who – if you can’t remember grade 4 social studies – was the Greek goddess of love, beauty, pleasure and procreation.  Um, yeh…

Truthfully, Aphrodite was a bit of a player who got herself and others into a lot of trouble.  Sometimes that happens with wine, but that’s a different blog.  Still, we could certainly say this wine brings a lot of pleasure!

Delicious and worthy of the US$50 tag, it’s a pretty shade of straw with intense aromas of ripe stone fruit, beeswax, and white flowers. The palate is where it absolutely pops – summer ripened peaches and nectarines mingle with honeysuckle and white blossoms.

Many Viogniers are thin, flabby, and a little green, but this one is juicy and voluptuous – Aphrodite-like, in fact.

It’s a dry wine, but one that gives off a floral, honeyed disposition and as a result, goes well with cheese like the ones shown here – camembert and asiago, and even the blue when combined with a slice of dried mango or fig.

I picked up this WSET Very Good bottle at Total Wines, Seattle – enjoy!