Winemaker Notes
Bright, pale gold color with silver tints. Aromas of white flowers and white fruit. Nicely balanced wine. Clairette brings the freshness and white Grenache body and softness.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
A blend of 40% Roussanne and 30% each of Clairette and Viognier, the 2018 Côtes Du Rhône Samorens Blanc comes all from the Laudun region of the Southern Rhône (north of Lirac) and was brought up in stainless steel. Its vibrant golden color is followed by a ripe, sexy nose of peach, tangerine, and caramelized lemons. With plenty of richness and depth, a rounded, elegant texture, and good acidity, it's geared for the dinner table and has loads to love.
Barrel Sample: 90-92
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.