2016 Rotem & Mounir Saouma Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc Magis, France, Rhone, Wine Review

A very pretty white wine from the Rhone. This is a big, round wine that is unique and outstanding. Grenache Blanc, Bourboulenc, Clairette and Roussanne. Golden in color. The nose is gorgeous with peaches, minerals, slight lime, toast and a slight waxy/floral quality (not unlike my late Aunt's apartment). On the palate, this is round with a slightly oily texture. very nice acidity. Long finish. In a very good way, this is somewhat like a white Burgundy with a peach candle melted in. Delicious. It would go great with food especially vegetarian grain dishes (couscous, quinoa, etc.). Seems to be drinking great but will probably last for a decade although ageing Rhone whites can be tricky.

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Vintage:

2016

Current Price:

$110.00USD

America's Best Rhone Style White Wines: 11th Annual Rhone Rangers Tasting Reviewed

The Rhone Report: About Rhone and Rhone-Style Wines and Winemakers is part of an ongoing series. Like many lovers of Rhone style wines from America, we have just returned from the 2008 edition of the annual Rhone Rangers tasting event at Fort Mason in San Francisco (March 18). This was the 11th year that the Rhone Rangers , a group of about 200 American producers of wines using 22 varietals traditional to France’s Rhone Valley, have shown off their wines at this public tasting event. This year, about 138 wineries presented approximately 520 wines. During the tasting, we enthusiastically tasted as many wines as we could within the 5 hours (3 public and 2 trade/media) the event was open. We tasted 30 white wines first, and then we tasted 50 reds. We skipped the rosés, not because we don’t love them, but because we didn’t have time. Kudos to Rhone Rangers for providing eco-friendly paper spit cups instead of the plastic cups so common at other tastings. We divided our attention between wines and producers we have known previously, producers new to us, and specific bottlings we didn’t already know. While we found many wines to admire, we are sure we missed other gems.

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2008 Hospice du Rhone Events: Highs & Lows of American Rhone-style Wines Tasted

The Rhone Report: About Rhone and Rhone-Style Wines and Winemakers is part of an ongoing series. The 16th annual Hospice du Rhone events in Paso Robles, California from May 1 to 3, 2008 was an opportunity to consider Rhone-style wines from a fresh perspective. Unlike most tasting opportunities, these events included Rhone-style wines from the Rhone Valley itself (51 wineries), elsewhere in France (4 wineries) as well as from Spain (4 wineries), Australia (17 wineries), South Africa (6 wineries), Chile (2 wineries), Argentina (1 winery) and the United States. The American wines were mostly from California (144 wineries), but a few examples from Arizona (2 wineries) and Washington State (5 wineries) were also included. While this is a California-dominated event, and while many of the Rhone Valley’s best producers aren’t represented, there is still sufficient European and other entries to make for interesting comparisons and contrasts. The events included two general tastings and a series of focused seminars.

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2013 Rotem & Mounir Saouma Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc Magis, France, Rhone, Wine Review

Vintage:

2013

Score:

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Current Price:

$100.00USD

I love Rhone whites but they are a crap shoot. Luckily, this was drinking quite well. It was brought over by a friend who was invited to our home for dinner. He will be invited back. Light golden in color. The nose is nice with minerals, wax but plenty of fruit; peach and guava and finally some honeysuckle and vanilla. On the palate, this has a slightly oily texture. The peach and vanilla predominate but it gets waxy on the finish. Also a lovely underlying minerality. Good acidity. Someone mentioned white Burgundy, but I didn't get that. Pretty classic ehite Rhone and wide open a

2015 Rotem & Mounir Saouma Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc Magis, France, Rhone, Wine Review

Vintage:

2015

Score:

Grade:

A+

Current Price:

$130.00USD

What a killer white wine. This was even better than the 2016 and 2013. Deep golden in color. The nose has smoke, lemons, floral notes and white peaches. On the palate, this is full bodied with a zesty acidity. There is a lemon cream quality to it not too unlike a nice Chard but also peaches with underlying minerals. This is a big wine but with enough energy to pull it off. It does have a bit of an acidic bite on the finish right now. It is delicious and worked great with a pea.

2013 Rotem & Mounir Saouma Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc Magis, France, Wine Review

Vintage:

2013

Score:

Grade:

Excellent Rhone wine that is in a great place right now. This bottle tasted much better and more mature than a bottle tasted two years ago. That review can be found here: https://www.intowine.com/reviews/2013-rotem-mounir-saouma-ch%C3%A2teaune...

2016 Rotem & Mounir Saouma Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc Magis, France, Rhone, Wine Review

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2013 Rotem & Mounir Saouma Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc Magis, France, Wine Review