Guigal's standard white wine cuvees, especially his Cotes du Rhone, have shown continued improvement, although it was more difficult to turn out a concentrated, ripe wine in 1992 and 1993 than in 1990. The 1992 Condrieu is a lovely, medium-bodied wine with a honeyed, flowery-scented perfume. The wine reveals excellent ripeness, adequate acidity, and admirable depth and richness. It should be drunk over the next 2 years.
The best recent vintage of Condrieu is the 1991, which is holding beautifully. It gets my highest marks despite the fact that I believe in drinking Condrieus within their first 2-3 years of life. When I last tasted the 1991 in March, 1994, it was even better than previously, with a delicate yet forceful bouquet of apricots and honeysuckle, and rich, full-bodied, unctuously-textured flavors.
Guigal's Condrieus are fermented in one-third new oak casks and two-thirds tank and then blended.
Importer: Classic Wines, Boston, MA; Tel. (617) 731-6644