Xavier Gerard

Xavier Gerard is an up-and-coming force to be reckoned with in the Northern Rhone. Having assumed control of his family's impressive holdings in Cote-Rotie and Condrieu with the 2013 vintage, Xavier has been steadily honing his craft over the ensuing years; today, his svelte, pure, classicist renderings of Cote-Rotie's unique terroir rival anything produced in the appellation. Furthermore, his nimble, acid-prizing touch with Viognier yields Condrieu of appealing restraint and foregrounded minerality.

Xavier is steering his viticulture toward the fully organic-a particularly arduous feat on these brutally steep terraced slopes-aiming for certification over the next several years, and he has refined his touch in the cellar to allow for sensitive rather than systematic whole-cluster usage, natural fermentations, and minimal handling of the wines during their elevage. His emphasis on elegance and precision provides a wonderful counterpoint to the beloved Cote-Rotie of the Levet family (who introduced us to Xavier ten years ago), while offering an equally profound glimpse into these slopes' prized schist.