Saint Cosme Condrieu

Condrieu bottle image

Wine Description

Château de Saint Cosme is the leading estate of Gigondas and produces the benchmark wines of the appellation. The property has been in the hands of the Barruol family since 1490. Louis Barruol took over from his father in 1992 making a dramatic shift to quality and converting to biodynamics in 2010.

The estate lies in the heart of Gigondas where 15 hectares of vineyard grow in the shade of the Dentelles de Montmirail mountain. In addition to the estate-grown wines labeled “Château de Saint Cosme,” Louis Barruol buys grapes from contracted growers, labeling these “négociant” wines simply as “Saint Cosme.”

Saint Cosme Condrieu is produced from fully-ripened Viognier which Louis Barruol believes is essential to achieving the variety’s full potential. “But ripeness must not imply excessive alcohol,” says Barruol, “We seek balance.” The wine is matured for eight months in used 228-liter barrels and undergoes full malolactic fermentation on fine lees for 12 months.

Saint Cosme Stone Sign
Chapel de Saint Cosme
WInemaker Louis Barruol
Oak Barrels
Chai de Saint Cosme
Aerial View of Chapel de Saint Cosme
Winemaker Louis Barruol
Le Poste Vineyards and Dentelles de Montmirail
Father and Son, Henry and Louis Barruol
Gigondas Bottle
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Acclaim
“This delivers a textbook display of peach, apricot, star fruit and anise notes, but in a package that is livelier than other versions from Condrieu, as racy honeysuckle, quinine and verbena hints add layers of energy through the finish.”
— Wine Spectator, Sep 2018
“The 2016 Condrieu is straight-up brilliant stuff, the finest Condrieu I’ve tasted from Luis Barruol. Awesome notes of orange blossom, white flowers, citrus oil, and crushed rocks all flow to a deep, rich, textured effort that has fabulous purity and precision. It’s a great example of Viognier from these steep, granite soils and is well worth seeking out.”
— Jeb Dunnuck, Sep 2018
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Vineyard & Production Info
Soil composition
Granit and Sand
Training method
Gobelet
Elevation:
660 feet
Vines/acre:
3200
Yield/acre:
25 tons
Exposure:
Eastern
Harvest time:
End of September
First vintage of this wine:
1997
Bottles produced of this wine:
5,500
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Winemaking & Aging
Varietal composition:
100% Viognier
Maceration technique:
Pumpovers
Fining agent:
Vegan
Type of aging container:
Barrels
Size of aging container:
224 Liters
Length of aging before bottling:
8 months
Age of Aging Container:
Used
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Analytical Data
pH level:
3.7
Acidity:
2.5 g/L
Alcohol:
13 %
Residual sugar:
1.7 g/L