Viognier is the hermit grape of the northern Rhône: for most of the twentieth century it clung to the terraces of Condrieu and the single walled vineyard of Château-Grillet, and by 1965 barely fourteen hectares remained in the world. It was given up for lost. Genetically it stands close to Mondeuse Blanche, the mother of Syrah — an old Rhône-Alpine family.
Its wine explains the devotion: apricot and mayblossom, an oily, enveloping texture, low acidity that demands full ripeness. In Côte-Rôtie it is traditionally co-planted and co-fermented with Syrah, lifting the red wine's perfume. Since the 1990s the hermit has travelled — Languedoc, California, Australia — one of the most spectacular revivals in modern viticulture.