Winemaker Notes
Exotic nose of spicy pears and white peaches, almond paste/marzipan, a touch of honeysuckle perfume. Multi-dimensional (many layers), a hard-to-describe range of aromatics, intriguing, almost mysterious! In the mouth it is crisply dry yet creamy and round and full-bodied, with nice almond paste on crisp-yet-juicy pear fruit.
Blend: 38% Grenache Blanc, 22% Roussanne, 28% Viognier, 12% Marsanne
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Honey and beeswax aromas meet with cashew, ambrosia melon and a hint of sea salt on the dynamic nose of this always excellent white wine. It starts sharp on the palate, with lemon and grapefruit-peel flavors before paraffin and macadamia-nut elements add depth.
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Wine Spectator
Complex and charming, featuring a mix of Meyer lemon, ripe honeydew melon, chamomile and marzipan flavors on a plump frame, with notes of yellow raisin, spice and orange zest lingering. Shows plenty of restraint, finishing with a fresh thread of acidity. Grenache Blanc, Roussanne, Viognier and Marsanne. Drink now.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2018 Carol Shelton Coquille Blanc shows that California white Rhône blends can measure up well with traditional Rhône Valley efforts. TASTING NOTES: This wine offers pinpoint aromas and flavors of ripe citrus and savory spices. Pair it with flavorful fish stews with light tomato accents. (Tasted: May 25, 2020, San Francisco, CA)
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.
Paso Robles has made a name for itself as a source of supple, powerful, fruit-driven Central Coast wines. But with eleven smaller sub-AVAs, there is actually quite a bit of diversity to be found in this inland portion of California’s Central Coast.
Just east over the Santa Lucia Mountains from the chilly Pacific Ocean, lie the coolest in the region: Adelaida, Templeton Gap and (Paso Robles) Willow Creek Districts, as well as York Mountain AVA and Santa Margarita Ranch. These all experience more ocean fog, wind and precipitation compared to the rest of the Paso sub-appellations. The San Miguel, (Paso Robles) Estrella, (Paso Robles) Geneso, (Paso Robles) Highlands, El Pomar and Creston Districts, along with San Juan Creek, are the hotter, more western appellations of the greater Paso Robles AVA.
This is mostly red wine country, with Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel standing out as the star performers. Other popular varieties include Merlot, Petite Sirah, Petit Verdot, Syrah, Grenache and Rhône blends, both red and white. There is a fairly uniform tendency here towards wines that are unapologetically bold and opulently fruit-driven, albeit with a surprising amount of acidity thanks to the region’s chilly nighttime temperatures.