Domaine Gilles Flacher Condrieu Les Rouelles, 2019

ABOUT THE WINE. The Flacher family has been making wine in the northern Rhone since 1806. Gilles is now managing an estate of 7 hectares, mainly in the Saint-Joseph appellation. Their wines are all from single-vineyard sites situated in and around the commune of Charnas, on the western banks of the Rhone. The majority of the vineyards are on terraced slopes, making mechanisation impossible, and most vineyard work continues to be done by hand.. TASTING NOTES. Supple and generous with rich, creamy honeycomb aromas and ripe melon-fruit. The palate is fresh, yet fulsome, with peach and apricot flavours mingling beautifully with vanilla from the oak. The finish is full-bodied and long.. FOOD PAIRING. A perfect match for cold seafood (shrimp, lobster), foie gras, poultry and unpasteurized cheeses.. FRIARWOOD SAYS. In the 1960s Viognier was rescued from the brink of extinction by the formation of the Condrieu appellation; glorious wines like this are the result, for which we are eternally grateful.