Famille Tardieu has become one of the best micro-negociants in the Rhone Valley. Nowadays, Bastien and Michel explore the vineyards to find grapes from very old vines, often located in the historical heart of each appellation. Then the link is made with the wine-grower, from the vine to the harvest.For a wine to carry the Condrieu AOC name it must be made from 100% viognier. This is the home of viognier, where it is produced most famously, in the northern Rhone Valley. The 2018 vintage Condrieu from producers, Tardieu-Laurent, has been warmly received by critics. The wine is rich and round, having spent 10 months in new and 1 year old French oak. Floral aromas come first, followed by creamy, plush peach, honeysuckle, melon and tropical notes, treading a line between the very rich, and leaner styles of Condrieu.

Sourced from dry-grown, hand tended vines in the north east of Victoria, this Beechworth Chardonnay from Savaterre will surely convince even the most hardened Chardonnay critic that modern Australian Chardonnay is of supreme world-class standard. Keppell Smith handcrafts a Chardonnay of utmost power and concentration that produces a length of flavour that borders on the immortal.