Guigal, who has replaced Georges Vernay as Mr. Condrieu (he now produces 40% of the appellation's production), has turned out two of the finest 1996 Condrieus. I do not particularly care for the 1996 vintage in Condrieu based on the number of mediocre and disappointing wines I tasted, but Guigal picked much later than most others, did a full malolactic fermentation to reduce the wines' high acidity, and his cold maceration peliculaire fermentation seems to have extracted more fruit than his peers.I tasted through the half dozen or more component parts of the 1996 Condrieu, which was scheduled to be bottled shortly after my visit. It will be an excellent rather than outstanding Condrieu. It possesses some of the vintage's tart acidity, but a fatter, creamier, fleshier richness than other wines of the appellation. The fragrant apricot and honeysuckle-like aromas are present in this dry, multi-layered wine with a clean, fresh finish. It should be as good as the 1995, but slightly inferior to the luscious 1994 (which is just beginning to tire).Guigal is one of the cellars where the wines always taste better after they are bottled than they do from cask, although as the scores in this segment indicate, some profound wines can be found in the 1994, 1995, and 1996 vintages Chez Guigal. Guigal's impression of the 1996 vintage is that it was significantly more successful in the north than the south, but one of the characteristics in both northern and southern Rhone wines is high acidity - in both white and red wine cuvees.Importer: Classic Wines, Boston, MA; tel. (617) 731-6644
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