Winemaker Notes
Pair with grilled fish, Asian cuisine such as yakitoris, tempuras, or poke bowls. Can also be enjoyed as an aperitif.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Youthful nose of lemon blossoms, white peaches and Asian pears. Very elegant and vivacious for a white Rhone. Medium-bodied and polished palate, with a lovely saltiness at the finish that makes it feel crisper than the wine really is. A cuvee based on viognier and marsanne with clairette and grenache blanc. Vinified completely in stainless steel.
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.