Winemaker Notes
#30 Wine Enthusiast Top 100 of 2020
Slight straw and golden hues with a viscosity that clings to the glass as it is swirled. Aromas of apricots, white floral, sweet honey, hints of brioche toast, sweet pea flowers and pineapple. Full, round and pleasing with ample acidity to balance the richness that will continue to evolve with time in bottle. Flavors of apple, wet stone and a touch of peach nectar engage with a lovely long persistent finish that lingers.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Complex and yet utterly refreshing, this estate blend of 45% Grenache Blanc, 21% Marsanne, 14% Viognier, 13% Roussanne and 7% Picpoul Blanc begins with wet stone, chalk, nectarine, Rainier cherry and creamed pear on the crisp nose. The palate sizzles with acidity and ashy, chalky tension, delivering flavors of kiwi, lychee and more stone fruit.
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Vinous
The 2019 M5 White is Margerum's white Rhône blend. Open-knit and inviting, the M5 is an ideal wine for drinking now and over the next few years. Pear, apple, dried flowers and mint are all laced together. This mid-weight, creamy white offers plenty of allure.
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Wine Spectator
Mouthwatering and vibrant, oozing with perfectly ripe white nectarine, Casaba melon, mango and dried pineapple flavors, with hints of candied ginger on a fresh, fleshy body. Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Viognier, Roussanne and Picpoul Blanc.
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.
Today it is an integral part of the greater Santa Barbara County wine region, but at one time the village, Los Olivos, was a stop on the Wells Fargo stagecoach line.