Winemaker Notes
Blend: 72% Roussanne, 23% Grenache Blanc and 5% Picpoul
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A seriously aromatic white (which isn't the norm for Rhone blends), the 2014 Esprit Blanc de Tablas (72% Roussanne, 23% Grenache Blanc and 5% Picpoul) gives up loads of lemon curd, white flowers, peach and honeysuckle to go with a medium-bodied, rich, layered profile on the palate. It has bright acidity, but it's nicely integrated. It's already a joy to drink, but it can be cellared for 7-8 years or more with great results.
-
Wine Enthusiast
This pioneering winery is all about integration of aromas and flavors, with this bottling showing rounded notes of honey, macadamia nut, salted peach and candied lemongrass on the nose. The blend of 72% Roussanne, 23% Grenache Blanc and 5% Picpoul Blanc is light and delicate on the sip and refreshing in structure, with crisp yellow-apple-skin flavors.
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.
RGL1214137_2014 Item# 165969