Winemaker Notes
Blend: 75% Viognier, 15% Grenache Blanc, 10% Other Varietals
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2016 Côte du Rhône Blanc includes slightly more Clairette than normal due to the warmer vintage, and it’s the best vintage of this cuvée I’ve tasted. Offering beautifully rich white peach, tangerine, and a distinct minerality and saltiness, this mini-Condrieu is medium to full-bodied, has bright acidity and a great finish. I’m sure it will be a smoking value.
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.