Yves Cuilleron : Les Chaillets 2023

Characteristics and tasting notes for the Condrieu "Les Chaillets" 2023 by Yves Cuilleron

Tasting

Colour
With beautiful brilliance, the wine reveals a bright pale-yellow hue.

Nose
Displaying great finesse, the aromatic bouquet reveals elegant floral notes and stone fruit such as peach and apricot. The whole is enhanced by touches of honey, sweet spices and toasted dried fruit.

Palate
Generous and complex, the palate harmoniously combines the roundness and delicacy typical of the grape variety. A deep mineral thread, inherited from the granite terroir, carries the tasting through to a remarkably fresh finish.

Food and wine pairing

This white wine pairs beautifully with shellfish, langoustines or delicate fish in sauce. For a gastronomic experience recommended by the estate, it will ideally accompany veal sweetbreads with morels, or a delicate poultry dish.

Service and storage

The Condrieu "Les Chaillets" 2023 can be enjoyed in its youth to appreciate its vibrant fruit, but it also has the structure needed to evolve in the cellar and can be enjoyed until around 2033.

The richness and minerality of a Condrieu white wine

The estate

Founded in 1920 when the family turned to winegrowing, the estate truly came into its own in 1947 with its first commercial releases. Located in the heart of the northern Rhône Valley, the property is now run by Yves Cuilleron, who took over in 1987. An emblematic figure, he has expanded the vineyard to over 70 hectares. Renowned for his meticulous and environmentally respectful approach, Yves Cuilleron crafts single-plot cuvées that express, with immense precision, the full complexity and authenticity of the Rhône terroirs.

The vineyard

The grapes come from plots located in the northern part of the Condrieu appellation. The vines, planted at high density in keeping with local tradition, thrive on extremely steep, terraced slopes. Facing due south, this distinctive terroir rests on biotite-granite soils, giving the wine its highly distinctive mineral identity. Vineyard management favours manual and sustainable methods, limiting yields and preserving the natural balance of the soils.

The vintage

The year's weather was marked by unusual climatic conditions, with a lack of rainfall and periods of intense heat. Despite these challenges, the growing cycle allowed the terroirs to fully express themselves, producing berries that retained a pronounced northern profile marked by a lovely freshness.

Winemaking and aging

The creation of the Condrieu "Les Chaillets" 2023 begins with manual harvesting followed by rigorous sorting of the bunches. Alcoholic fermentation takes place in Burgundy barrels, triggered exclusively by indigenous yeasts, with no addition of oenological products. The wine is then aged on the lees for around eight to nine months with regular lees stirring, before the blend of the different plots is finalised just before bottling.

Grape variety

This wine is made exclusively from Viognier.