Condrieu “Le Tinal” AOC 2023 500ml

Wine Description for Condrieu “Le Tinal” AOC 2023 500ml by Maison Stephan

Colour & Appearance

Luminous lemon yellow with seductive golden and green reflections – a wine that promises elegance and depth from the very first glance in the glass.

Nose

What an entrance. Le Tinal practically explodes from the glass with an intoxicating bouquet of apricot and white peach, mandarin, kumquat, mango and pineapple. Ripe pear and a whisper of violet lend the nose floral depth, whilst acacia honey provides silky warmth. Fine spice notes join the party – fennel seeds, anise, coriander, a touch of liquorice and thyme. Dense and opulent, yet possessed of remarkable freshness and clarity.

Palate

Here Le Tinal reveals its true greatness. Where many Condrieu sink into fullness and breadth, this wine remains razor-sharp and weightless. Full-bodied and crystalline at once – an apparent contradiction that Stephan resolves with playful ease. The fruit and spice aromas from the nose continue seamlessly, carried by a vibrant acidity and an unexpected salty minerality that lends the wine an almost ethereal quality. This is not a Condrieu for lovers of baroque opulence – this is Viognier on another level entirely.

Finish

Long, precise and persistently spicy. The mineral salinity of granite lingers as an elegant echo, whilst the fruit fades gently. A finish that leaves you craving the next sip.

Terroir & Origin

The grapes hail from the Lieu-Dit Le Tinal in the commune of Vérin, one of the northernmost and most demanding vineyard sites in Condrieu. The soils of granite and biotite and the south-south-easterly aspect of the parcel explain the remarkable combination of ripeness and mineral tension that characterises this wine.

Grape Variety & Vinification

100% Viognier from old vines, farmed organically. Hand-harvesting, spontaneous fermentation with natural yeasts and ageing for more than twelve months in used barriques result in a wine of extraordinary authenticity – unadorned, unrestrained.

Food Pairing Suggestions

A wine of such complexity demands partners of equal standing: lobster with vanilla butter, scallops with saffron sauce or a fine foie gras terrine. Equally wonderful with aromatic curries with coconut milk or a classic poulet à la crème.

Special Features

The 500ml bottle underscores the artisanal, almost intimate character of this extraordinary wine. A Condrieu that elegantly refutes the cliché of heavy, opulent Rhône whites – and in doing so, redefines what Viognier is capable of achieving.