Andre Perret
Coteau du Chery
Condrieu
2019

The producer

Would Condrieu be what it is today without André Perret? This quietly spoken former biology teacher took over a small family estate in the late 1980s and has since become one of the most respected names in the northern Rhône, particularly for his wonderful expressions of Viognier and Syrah.

Based in Chavanay, just south of the famed slopes of Côte-Rôtie, Perret crafts aromatic, elegant Condrieu from steep granite terraces that are notoriously difficult to farm. His whites combine intensity and finesse, often showing exotic floral notes, stone fruits, and precise acidity, wines that show beautifully young, but can surprise with their aging potential.

The wine

Coteau du Chéry is André Perret’s most esteemed Condrieu, crafted from one of the appellation’s finest and steepest vineyard sites. The granite soils and south-facing terraces yield Viognier of remarkable purity and depth. This wine is richly textured and expressive, showing layers of apricot, peach, and white blossom, with a precise mineral edge and vibrant acidity. Aged in oak barrels, including a portion of new oak, it combines generosity of fruit with elegance and restraint. Perret’s hallmark is balance, and this cuvée captures the full potential of Condrieu with finesse, complexity, and an ability to age gracefully.

We choose our wines based on a range of criteria (see how we choose our wines) of which critic scores is just one. Rather than simply highlight the best score to promote a wine, our average critic score is calculated from the scores provided by several respected wine critics, who we follow for specific regions. They do not represent all critic scores and, wherever possible, we try and give more weight to more recent reviews. Where appropriate we consider market-based scores like Global Wine Score or Wine Searcher Average scores.

As a rule, we look to offer wines that achieve a 92/100 average critic score or better and frankly a lot of very good wines simply don’t make the cut. As a high-end provider we want to reflect that positioning in the quality of wines we offer. Such wines are only a tiny fraction of those generally on offer in the market. We believe that an average score is a more conservative and representative approach, but it is still subjective and only offered as a guide to our customers, who will (and should) do their own research. We will add individual critic scores to our website in the future.