2016 Jeanne Gaillard Gamme Plaisir Viognier Collines Rhodaniennes 750 ml

A Rhône White to Stockpile

Today’s 2016 Jeanne Gaillard Gamme Plaisir Viognier Collines Rhodaniennes is an excellent place to start stockpiling luscious Rhône whites. Positively oozing with juicy, just-picked peach flavors and wildflower aromatics, this is everything a Northern Rhône Viognier should be, and we have it for $20. Soft and supple, this golden wine is a natural choice for lovers of nuanced, creamy Burgundy, Condrieu, and un-oaked Chardonnays.

Most winemakers initially jump into the vineyard because of passion, but not Jeanne Gaillard, despite the fact that her father, Pierre, is one of the most iconic winemakers of the Northern Rhône. Instead, she was banished to the vineyards as punishment as a child, with vineyard tasks her penance. We’re not sure if he was trying to teach her a lesson, or simply short-staffed, but it’s safe to say that a lesson was learned. Several years and many terrific wines later, and it’s obvious: the grape doesn’t fall far from the vine. Today’s Gamme Plaisir is a velvety, concentrated expression of bright, fresh summer fruit that lands right in the heart of the gamme plaisir, or “pleasure range.”

The Collines Rhodaniennes region spreads across the Northern Rhône Valley, where steep slopes and intense sunshine make some of the Rhône’s most sought-after reds. But it’s pebbles that make the subzone so perfect for Viogner. Big, round pebbles to be specific. An abundance of sizeable circular stones fill the region’s soil, and their tendency to absorb the sun’s rays like swaths of black fabric provides extra heat to Viognier vines. This boost in temperature leads to even ripening, which allows the best fruit to practically drip with refreshing stone fruit character. It makes these single-varietal wines an easy choice to pop open the moment the time to unwind arrives.

Jeanne’s immense skills allow her to take full advantage of the brilliant 2016 Northern Rhône harvest, which Wine Spectator called “scintillating,” and “brimming with fresh acidity.”

Tactics like low-temperature fermentation and weekly lee stirring allow the viognier fruit to fully express itself, and these grapes have plenty to say. Notes of ripe peach and apricot seamlessly transition from pronounced nose to round, rich palate before finishing on a clean, fresh, satisfying note. Drinking this is the opposite of punishment.