Winemaker Notes
The nose on the La Vallee, typical of Clairette and Viognier, develops aromas of ripe fruit, apricot and sage lifted by citrus notes. The sensation of tension and minerality is immediate in the mouth with layered honeyed pear, tangerine, and white-floral tones. The palate is structured with notes of hazelnut and elegant aromas of honey and elderflower on the finish.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Smoky nose with preserved lemon and toasted baguette notes. A generous, medium- to full-bodied palate, where the alcohol gives it a bit of warmth but the oak gives it good structure in the bold finish. A cuvee of 45% roussanne, 45% grenache blanc and 10% clairette that is barrel fermented in oak and acacia. Drink or hold.
Domaine de Galuval is ideally positioned between Cairanne and Rasteau in the Southern Rhône. It consists of 120 in various parcels covering some of the best terroir with some of the oldest vines in the region. Low intervention and perfect growing conditions combined with careful parcel selection and judicious ageing result in thoroughly modern wines that remain true to the individual character of each vintage. Winemaker Emmanuel Couzi's style is guided by the richness of the fruit and the diversity of each terroir. The emblem of the Domaine de Galuval, the Rooster spins around as the weathervane is battered by the wind. The Mistral and the benefit it brings are what help their vineyards to prosper, ventilating the vines, keeping the grapes healthy and chasing away the clouds to allow them to reach perfect maturity.
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.