Generously a friend carried a bottle of Quintessence made from viognier from the Rhone. Coincidentally we also tasted a dry viognier wine from E. Guigal.

The sweet wine, named “FV” after the wine maker’s initials, was made by Francois Villard. This wine is a 500ml bottle with a white and gold label.

It is non vintage late harvest which is not typical in the north part of the Rhone Valley. The sweet wines are often laid over straw and dried out before being pressed to make “vins de paille” a straw wine. This wine resembles more a  Beerenauslese or ice wine, colored with age and fabulously rich and sweet but well-balanced with crisp acidity.

(92+ Points)