Winemaker Notes
A beautiful, clear, golden colour with delicate touches of light. On the nose: subtle aromas of Oriental tea, fragrant incense, citrus zest (mandarin) and acacia honey. On the palate: straightforward in the attack, beginning taut with fruit such as apricot, bitter orange and candied orgeat. On the mid-palate, a harmonious structure is balanced out well by salty, creamy butter notes. The finish reveals a pleasant, delicate salinity in keeping with the La Clape terroir, with quince and mineral touches. The wine is full and dense on the palate, with beautifully lingering aromas and a harmonious structure of tannins.
To be enjoyed with lamb tagine, roasted vegetables with mild spices and mature cheeses.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
A skin-contact wine with a polished feel, which makes this an outlier. Offers a core of peach, quince, tropical fruit and smoked orange encased in toasted acacia and warm spices. Texturally intriguing, with a thread of iodine and spices, this is full, rich and long. Built to last, with an oak profile that will better integrate with time. Roussanne, Vermentino and Viognier.
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.
An extensive appellation producing a diverse selection of good quality and great values, Languedoc spans the Mediterranean coast from the Pyrenees mountains of Roussillon all the way to the Rhône Valley. Languedoc’s terrain is generally flat coastal plains, with a warm Mediterranean climate and frequent risk of drought.
Virtually every style of wine is made in this expansive region. Most dry wines are blends with varietal choice strongly influenced by the neighboring Rhône Valley. For reds and rosés, the primary grapes include Grenache, Syrah, Carignan, Cinsault and Mourvèdre. White varieties include Grenache Blanc, Muscat, Ugni Blanc, Vermentino, Macabéo, Clairette, Piquepoul and Bourbelenc.
International varieties are also planted in large numbers here, in particular Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon.
The key region for sparkling wines here is Limoux, where Blanquette de Limoux is believed to have been the first sparkling wine made in France, even before Champagne. Crémant de Limoux is produced in a more modern style.