Château Fontarèche Viognier 2025
£10.75
The wine
Pale yellow, with enticing fleshy stone fruits, lychee and white flowers.
Viognier is a Rhône variety that was nearly extinct by the 1960s, when only a few dozen hectares survived at Condrieu. It needs full ripeness for its apricot character but loses acidity fast, so the picking window is unforgiving. Château Fontarèche is surrounded by a square of 120 hectares of sustainably farmed vines in Corbières, one of the oldest estates in the appellation.
The producer
Château Fontarèche
View all Château Fontarèche winesChâteau Fontarèche is one of the oldest estates in Corbières, its vineyards set in the sun-baked hills of the Languedoc between Carcassonne and the Mediterranean. Records of winemaking here reach back centuries, and the property remains a family concern. This is deep-rooted southern French wine country.
The estate farms a wide palette of Mediterranean grapes, from Syrah, Grenache and Carignan for the reds to Rolle, Viognier and Piquepoul for the whites and rosés. Garrigue-covered hills and warm days give the wines their ripeness, while cooling night winds preserve freshness. Old vines add depth to the top cuvées.
Winemaking blends tradition with a modern eye for clean, expressive fruit. The reds are supple and spiced, the whites and rosés fresh and aromatic. Across the range, the wild herbal character of the Corbières landscape shines through.
Fontarèche offers generous, sun-filled Languedoc wines at everyday prices. Warm, herby and easy to enjoy, they carry the spirit of the Mediterranean south in every glass.






