Condrieu 2015 Pagus Luminis, Louis Cheze

Louis Chèze founded his estate in 1978 in Limony, a small town west of the Rhone River just a few kilometres south of the famed Northern Rhone vineyards of Ampuis and Condrieu. Beginning with just under 2.5 acres in Saint Joseph, the Domaine is now comprised of 74 acres including vineyards in both Condrieu and Cote-Rotie. Sustainable viticulture is practiced at the Domaine and many labor intensive viticultural practices such as pre-pruning, weeding, green harvesting and canopy management are employed. Pagus Luminis by Louis Chèze is a single-varietal Viognier white wine made from a 7 acre plot. The grapes are harvested by hand, sorted in the vineyard and again in the cellar. This wine is cold settled and fermented and aged for 8-10 months in barrels with battonage for the majority of the elevage. Bottled without filtration.

The Wine Spectator scored this 96 points saying "This has power, with a large core of creamed peach, nectarine and yellow apple fruit. Lengthy, pure and vibrant, with a mineral streak running underneath and chamomile and honeysuckle notes gilding the finish. Dreamy wine. Drink now through 2022."