Domaine de la Janasse Cotes du Rhone Blanc 2020
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James
Suckling -
Jeb
Dunnuck
Product Details
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Winemaker Notes
This blend reflects the complexity of a qualitative terroir, while the vinification brings a clear and beneficial vivacity and freshness, with a hint of minerality.
Blend: 50% Grenache, 15% Clairette, 15% Bourboulenc, 10% Viognier, 10% Roussanne
An ideal companion to a seafood boil or simple enough for a refreshing aperitif.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
I love the wide range of fruit aromas, ranging from white peach to melon and ripe lemon, which pour from the glass of this excellent white Cotes-du-Rhone. Lively acidity and a positive touch of tannins neatly balance the generous body, and there’s a touch of mineral freshness at the long, very clean finish.
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Jeb Dunnuck
I loved the 2020 Côtes du Rhône Blanc, and this is one solid white well worth seeking out. A blend of Grenache Blanc, Clairette, Bourboulenc, and Viognier, it has remarkable purity in its citrus and tangerine fruits as well as notes of chalky minerality and sappy herbs. Medium-bodied and balanced, Domaine de La Janasse makes brilliant whites across the board, and this is no exception. And it will probably represent a great value as well. Drink it over the coming couple of years.
Other Vintages
2021-
Jeb
Dunnuck
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Robert
Parker -
Jeb
Dunnuck
- Decanter
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Robert
Parker
Domaine de la Janasse has quickly become one of the Superstar estates of Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Led by the dynamic Christophe Sabon, the estate combines the best of both traditional and modern techniques to craft a collection of truly riveting wines from “simple” value-priced VDP’s to benchmark Chateauneufs.
The estate was founded in 1976 by Aimé Sabon, Christophe’s father, who still oversees the vineyards and farms organically. The property consists of 40 Hectares, spread over as many as 70 different parcels throughout the appellation.
While Aime works in the vineyards, his son, Christophe Sabon, is in charge of wine production. Christophe is a self-proclaimed “great defender of Grenache,” which still represents 75% of their vines. He manages the common rusticity of Grenache-based wines through meticulous work in the vineyards and cellar. The result is a wide range of lavishly ripe, extracted Chateauneuf-du-Papes and Cotes-du-Rhônes that are complex and yet balanced with acidity -- often in contradiction to an appellation better known for sheer exuberance and power. As Robert Parker points out: “The young and talented Christophe Sabon continues to display the sure-handed touch of a veteran winemaker”.
Full-bodied and flavorful, white Rhône blends originate from France’s Rhône Valley. Today these blends are also becoming popular in other regions. Typically some combination of Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Roussanne and Viognier form the basis of a white Rhône blend with varying degrees of flexibility depending on the exact appellation. Somm Secret—In the Northern Rhône, blends of Marsanne and Roussanne are common but the south retains more variety. Marsanne, Roussanne as well as Bourboulenc, Clairette, Picpoul and Ugni Blanc are typical.
Typically thought of as a baby Chateâuneuf-du-Pape, the term Côtes du Rhône actually doesn’t merely apply to the flatter outskirts of the major southern Rhône appellations, it also includes the fringes of well-respected northern Rhône appellations. White wines can be produced under the appellation name, but very little is actually made.
The region offers some of the best values in France and even some first-rate and age-worthy reds. Red wine varieties include most of the Chateâuneuf-du-Pape varieties like Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Cinsault, and Counoise, as well as Carignan. White grapes grown include Grenache blanc, Roussanne and Viognier, among others.