Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The richest and most textured in the lineup, the 2014 Costières de Nîmes Lou Coucardié is a blend of 50% Roussanne, 30% Grenache Blanc and 20% Viognier that saw plenty of skin contact, and fermentation and aging all in 500-liter barrels with plenty of batonnage. Tasking like a top flight Châteauneuf du Pape Blanc with its buttered citrus, citrus oil, white flowers and apple blossom aromas and flavors, it’s medium-bodied, has bright acidity and a similarly tight, fresh profile found in the Nostre Païs. It should show at its best next year and evolve for 2-3 years, possibly longer. Rating: 91+
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.
Gently rolling hills covered by large, round stones on south-facing slopes, Costieres de Nimes is a substantial IGP zone that was formerly considered part of the Languedoc. Today it is included as a section of the southern Rhone; its climate, topography and wines put it more in line with that appellation. Grenache is its most important red variety, along with Mourvedre, Syrah and Carignan. Half of the production here is rosé.