Domaine Christophe Pichon

I first worked with Christophe Pichon some twelve years ago, when he had first started to make wines in 1993, however, for some inexplicable reason (probably because of my frustration with Cote Rotie and Condrieu in general) I had not developed our business together. A chance meeting at a ‘Salon de vin’ in Ampuis recently, followed by a rather splendid tasting had me wondering how on earth I had let this genius slip by. However, Christophe seemed more than delighted to start working together again as I am equally delighted to be able to offer his wines. From 1993 to 1999 Christophe has worked with his father Philippe. In 2000, upon Philippe’s retirement, Christophe took control of 3.85 hectares of Condrieu and half a hectare of Cote Rotie in the Cote Blonde. This allowed him to invest in a gleaming new cellar full of the latest gadgetry. A year later Christophe managed to acquire a further parcel of vines in Cote Rotie, this time on the Cote Brune. Like his name-sake at Chateau de Montlys, Christophe was one of the few growers in Cote Rotie to tame those savage tannins and create a wine with sublime balance. He has long been known as one of the finest exponents of Condrieu and justifiably so. He chooses to age 75% of his Viognier (the grape for Condrieu) in inox cuvees, to retain freshness, whilst the remaining 25% is aged in 1-5 year old oak barriques.