Winemaker Notes
The Viognier, Grenache Blanc, Roussanne, Clairette, and Marsanne grapes for Parallèle 45 Blanc are farmed organically. They grow on 40-year-old vines in clayey limestone and alluvial deposits composed of round pebbles. The grapes are destemmed, crushed, and undergo fermentation. The wine is then aged for 6 months in stainless steel vats on fine lees.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
An unusually fragrant and lively white Cotes-du-Rhone that is generous and refreshing. White and yellow peach, apricot and ripe grapefruit aromas fill out the medium- to full-bodied palate. Long, quite zesty finish with a touch of grapefruit peel character. A cuvee of 38% viognier, 33% grenache blanc, 12% marsanne, 10% roussanne and 7% clairette. From organically grown grapes.
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.