Xavier inherited his father's vines in 2012, a tiny collection scattered among top terroirs in Côte-Rôtie, Condrieu and St. Joseph. He became famous in Europe when his 2015 Côte-Rôtie was deemed by Decanter's blind tasting... Read More

Xavier inherited his father's vines in 2012, a tiny collection scattered among top terroirs in Côte-Rôtie, Condrieu and St. Joseph. He became famous in Europe when his 2015 Côte-Rôtie was deemed by Decanter's blind tasting panel to be the second best wine from the Northern Rhône, besting virtually all the top names of the region.

We tend to think of Northern Rhône producers as belonging on a spectrum that runs from traditionalist to modernist. But many of our favorite producers — like Chave or Allemand — don't fit neatly into those categories, producing neither the backwards, often funky wines of the traditionalists nor the oaky showboats of the modernists. Instead, they borrow from both traditionalist and Burgundian techniques to make wines that emphasize fruit purity, grace and terroir. Gerard very much fits this mold.