2022 Vignoble De Boisseyt, Viognier, En Amont, IGP Collines Rhodaniennes, Northern Rhône, France.
Coming from vines, south of Côte Rôtie, on granite based soils, near the commune de Chavanay in what labelling laws calls part of the Collines Rhodaniennes, this gorgeous, exotic and expressive En Amont Viognier by Vignoble De Boisseyt, which I hadn’t had before, is a beauty of a dry white wine and an exceptional value. The nose, on this pale gold Viognier, is wonderfully pure with honeysuckle, mineral tones, citrus and heady pêche liqueur, leading to a fuller palate of fresh apricot, lemony citrus, pineapple and melon fruits, along with clove spice, wet stone, hazelnut, bitter herbs, acacia flowers and honey notes in a crisply focused and elegantly presented dry wine. From what I gather, this wine saw a 24 hour cold soak on the skins, gently whole cluster pressed and fermented in tank with a lees aging of 8 months, making for a transparent, freshly vibrant and easy to love varietal Viognier.
The Domaine Vignoble de Boisseyt, which has rots dating back to 1343, is mostly known for their set of red wines and first became noted modern winery in 1988 when Agnès and Didier Chol took over this historic small 11 hectare estate, in diverse parceled vineyards, set in and the Saint-Joseph, Condrieu, Côte-Rôtie and Côtes du Rhône zones, but really burst on the scene recently with the addition of Romain Decelle and his Olivier Decelle of Bourgogne de Decelle & Fils and the famous Mas Amiel in the Languedoc. Romain Decelle took the reins here in 2017 and has brought a lot of new attention and I can see why with this absolutely delicious and pure Viognier, which is worthy of the “Baby” Condrieu nickname and I can’t wait to explore more of the De Boisseyt offerings! It isn’t often, that a non full Condrieu impresses me to this degree and had to go back a few times while trying this one to be sure it was as good as it was on the night! This stylish and excellent ready to drink Viognier will be great with a range of cuisine, including roast poultry, white fish, and soft cheeses.
($26 Est.) 92 Points, grapelive