Winemaker Notes
Rich and complex on the nose (and you wouldn’t be wrong if you mistake this for a young white Burgundy), orchard fruits such as pear and apricot and white peach blossoms leap out of the glass. Opulent and textured on the palate, with ripe stone fruits, honey, and minerals. A truly over-achieving Cotes-du-Rhone Blanc.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
A serious, well-packed white, with density to its juicy apple and melon flavors, flanked by toasted acacia, warm spices and heather on a full frame. Earthy underpinnings emerge with time in glass, adding complexity on the salty, rich finish, with notes of hazelnut. A beam of savory acidity maintains good tension. Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Bourboulenc and Roussanne. Drink now through 2027. 129 cases imported.
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 appellation full of some of the most delightful and particularly charming reds, Côtes du Rhône Villages includes the best villages of the greater Côtes du Rhône appellation. The possibility for an appellation promotion exists for every named village but each has to achieve and prove superior quality before an upgrade will be granted. The main ones today are Gigondas, Vacqueyras, Beaumes-de-Venise, Vinsobres, Rasteau and Cairanne.
The Gigondas appellation, while sometimes producing wines with a touch of rusticity, can often rival Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Its elevations are higher and soils richer in limestone. Vacqueyras reds are more concentrated than the more general Côtes du Rhône reds and must be at least one half comprised of Grenache by law. Beaumes de Venise also includes some excellent higher elevation spots for making snappy, fruity and spicy reds but historically the appellation’s esteem came from its fragrant, sweet and golden Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise.