Origins
One of the rarest and most mysterious white varietals, Viognier is reputed to have its origins in Bosnia. It is believed that it was imported into France in the 3rd century.Viognier is the sole grape used in the making of the reputed wines of Condrieu and Château Grillet.
Despite their renown these Appellations cover relatively small areas: 102 ha and 4 ha respectively. Viognier is also found in nearby Cote Rotie where it's added to Syrah (up to a limit of 20%) in order to soften the tannins.

Characteristics
Viognier is a difficult vine to cultivate and gives small berries with thick skins which ripen relatively late in the season. It is fragile and gives very low yields. Typical characteristics are aromas of tropical fruits and flowers and flavours of peach and apricot. Viognier wines can often be rather heavy and difficult to drink. This can often be the result of the use of an inferior Viognier clone which gives higher yields of less aromatic fruit, or heavy handed winemaking techniques.
Laurent ensures the consistent quality of his Viognier by using only fruits sourced from true Condrieu clones. He harvests by night, when vineyard temperature is lowest. He uses only the first and second press of the Viognier and uses high-tech cooling apparatus in all cellars to ensure maximum aromatics and freshness.

Where our Viognier is grown
Viognier was first planted by Laurent's father Henri in 1992. The variety gave rather spectacular results from the first vintage of Viognier in 1995 and further planting has continued ever since to give the current total of over 20 Ha.. Our primary source for our premium Viognier are the vineyards of La Gauphine. This is a relatively recent estate which forms part of Cazal Viel and which is planted with over 15 hectares of Viognier. It is cultivated by Laurent's brother in law, Jean-Laurent Guillet and the average age of the vines is 7 years.

Our partner estates in the Minervois and the Peyne valley (near Pezenas) also have substantial plantings of Viognier.