Domaine Chambeyron Condrieu 'Vernon' 2021
(Northern Rhone, France) - [DM 94]
Regular price $80.00 Sale price $69.97 Save $10.03
The Chambeyron family has been racking wine, growing tobacco, and selling apricots in the Northern Rhône since 1895. Bernard Chambeyron's access to cherished parcels of La Chavaroche and Lancement (in Côte Rôtie) and Vernon (in Condrieu) is firmly generational. His great grandfather, Jean-Marie Chambeyron was one of the first farmers to plant new vines in Côte-Rôtie after the phylloxera epidemic in the late 19th century. He came to the Northern Rhône to work as a stone mason, then made wine to supply
the local cafés. It was Bernard’s uncle, Marius Chambeyron, who was the wine maverick, bottling his own Côte-Rôtie in the 1970s, while his father, Maurice opted for apricots and cherries, a lucrative business fueled by the local fruit market in Ampuis. Embedded
with a tradition of growing and farming, Bernard initially chose tobacco over wine and tended his plants on the windy plateau of Boucharey, overlooking the roasted slope. As the interest for Rhône wines energized in the UK and United States, Bernard began to
rethink his tobacco-grape puzzle. In 1977 he planted grapes for Côtes-du-Rhône production, slowly connecting the dots to Côte-Rôtie.
Then in 1981, he acquired a piece of the famous La Chavaroche vineyard in the Côte Brune; his vines are just above those of his cousin, Mr. Levet. His fortune continued with Lancement, technically the Côte Blonde, but when you look at a vineyard map it is snug
to the Côte Brune. The singularity of Chambeyron’s Lancement is old-vines, planted in 1967 by his uncle Marius. Now it's Bernard's son, Mathieu, who works side-by-side with his father, preparing to take the lead.
the local cafés. It was Bernard’s uncle, Marius Chambeyron, who was the wine maverick, bottling his own Côte-Rôtie in the 1970s, while his father, Maurice opted for apricots and cherries, a lucrative business fueled by the local fruit market in Ampuis. Embedded
with a tradition of growing and farming, Bernard initially chose tobacco over wine and tended his plants on the windy plateau of Boucharey, overlooking the roasted slope. As the interest for Rhône wines energized in the UK and United States, Bernard began to
rethink his tobacco-grape puzzle. In 1977 he planted grapes for Côtes-du-Rhône production, slowly connecting the dots to Côte-Rôtie.
Then in 1981, he acquired a piece of the famous La Chavaroche vineyard in the Côte Brune; his vines are just above those of his cousin, Mr. Levet. His fortune continued with Lancement, technically the Côte Blonde, but when you look at a vineyard map it is snug
to the Côte Brune. The singularity of Chambeyron’s Lancement is old-vines, planted in 1967 by his uncle Marius. Now it's Bernard's son, Mathieu, who works side-by-side with his father, preparing to take the lead.
Bernard planted .7 hectares of Viognier on the north side of Vernon in 1985. Vernon is recognized for producing Viognier of unparalleled intensity and energy, one of the top 3 sites for Viognier in the world, trademarked by its mica-sifted “arzelle” soils.
Vinification:
~Average Vine Age: 40 years old.
~100% Destemmed Clusters.
~Fermented in Steel & Enamel-lined Concrete.
~Aging Takes Place in a Trio of Vessels: 30 yr old barriques(!) Steel & Enamel-lined Concrete.
~Our cuvée is bottled in the fall and then allowed to rest in bottle for 10 months before shipping.
Ratings & Reviews
94 Points - Decanter "A full-bodied and opulent style. It's counteracted but a firm, fruity acidity like a nectarine. Alcohol is well balanced, the oak lends spice without overly dominating the fruit, and the finish is fresh and long. Grown on loess soils, fermented and aged 70% in demi-muid (10% new), the rest in stainless steel." --Matt Walls (9/30/22)