Tasting Notes: The Côtes du Rhône Blanc is blend of equal parts of Grenache Blanc, Clairette, Marsanne, Roussanne, and Viognier, all grown on the windswept, loamy clay and grey marl terroirs of ... Le Coteau and Les Collines. The grapes are crushed and directly pressed, then fermented in thermoregulated stainless steel tanks and matured for six month before bottling. In a good large Burgundy glass, the Côtes du Rhône Blanc 2023 has a luminous, pale straw color, (with flashes of green from the floral Viognier, and gold from the Grenache Blanc). At first, the delicate nose is hard to pin down with explicit descriptors. At one moment, delicate aromas of Gala apples, orange blossoms, and sun-dried macadamias move in and out of the foreground. At the next, the nose evolves into a complex amalgam that includes elderflower, acacia honey, salted caramel, and a fleeting suggestion of fresh garden spearmint. On the palate, the wine is dry, savory, and refreshing; creamy, but not fat, with a layered, mineral-laced core of yellow orchard fruit flavors that echo the nose, including sun-warmed spiced pears, lemon zest, and crystallized honey, and a long, clean finish punctuated with seawater mineral grip and fresh fruit acidity. Drink no –2027. Read More
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The modern history of this eighty-hectare estate in Vinsobres began with Henri Chauvet and Baron Le Roy, who, in the 1920s, introduced the idea of “appellation contrôlée” in France. Henri Chauvet’s son-in-law Pierre Jaume was the driving force in the development of the estate, but it was Pierre’s son Claude who was the first to estate-bottle the wines. Grandsons Pascal and Richard took over in the 1980s, and have continued to enlarge and improve Domaine Jaume; with carefully considered purchases, like the vineyard they call “Altitude 420,” and the “Clos des Échelas.” Richard’s son Anthony, who last visited Moore Brothers in March, joined them in 2010. The estate’s unwavering commitment to sustainable, organic viticulture is outlined in its “Charter Vinéa Natura,” which every producer in the world should adopt.”
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Phocaean Greeks established viticulture in the Rhône as far back as 600 BC, but until the 14th century the wines were not seen outside the region. The establishment of the Avignonese Papacy (1305-1377) brought fame to the region's wine - so much so that their Burgundian neighbors to the north banned wines from the Rhône in 1446, a measure that effectively cut off trade with England and other Northern European markets for over 200 years. Stretching southward from Lyon to Avignon, the Côtes du Rhône produces a wide variety of wines, with the appellations north of Valence producing the least (in volume), and the towns south of Montélimar producing prodigious amounts. As in other regions, the most interesting wines come from small farms. The AOC Côtes-du-Rhône covers the entire Rhône region but is more regularly used in the south where Grenache is the dominant grape.
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A blend of white “Rhône varietals” may include Marsanne, Roussanne, Grenache Blanc, Viognier, Vermentino (usually known as Rölle in France), Ugni Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, and others depending on where the wine is produced, and the quantity of each variety grown in a producer's vineyard. Grapes of the different varieties are blended to develop the best wine in any given vintage, so there is not a standard recipe.
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Grilled shrimp or langoustine, and other olive oil-laced seafoods (and seafood stews!) are recommended for this wine.
