2024 Clos Ste. Magdeleine Cassis Blanc, France, Cassis, Wine Review

This is a blend of 40% Marsanne, 30% Ugni blanc, 25% Clairette, and 5% Bourboulenc from Southeast France. Light golden in color, clear and bright. A very nice nose of peaches with slight tangerine and a hint of minerality. Light to Medium bodied. Good acidity. On the palate, the peaches come thru with a bit more minerality. Long finish. This is a nice, slightly light white but still has some stuffing and seriousness. Very nice on its own, this will work well with lighter foods or most seafood. Drink over the next few years but it will probably go longer.

Grade:

A-

Score:

Vintage:

2024

Current Price:

$35.00USD

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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2015 J.L. Chave Sélection Hermitage Blanche, France, Rhone, Wine Review

Vintage:

2015

Score:

Grade:

Current Price:

$65.00USD

2015 was a wionderful vintage in the Rhone. Also from his Negociant line of wines (although Chave owns the vineyards for these too). Great showing for this wine, it will undoubtedly open and close often over the next twenty or so years, but beautiful at the moment. Light golden in color. The nose shows vanilla, slight peach and white floral notes. This is a big full bodied wine. On the palate showing slightly bitter (in a good way) earthiness, apricots, slight lemons and white pepper. Nice acidity (for Marsanne). Long finish. This wine is mostly Marsanne. This wine has a nice dept

2020 Domaine de Couron Côtes du Rhône Villages Blanc, France, Wine Review

Vintage:

2020

Score:

Grade:

A-

Current Price:

$20.00USD

This is a blend of 33% Marsanne, 33% Roussanne, and 33% Grenache blanc from the Rhone Valley. Light golden in color, clear and bright. The nose has vanila, lemons and peaches. Full bodied. Slightly oily texture. On the palate, lemons and peach. Easy drinking. Nice finish. This is a nice value in white wines and should continue to drink well for another three to five years. It is nice on its own and will work well with many foods including Pork, Poultry and Seafood. This would be a nice pairing with Roasted (or fried) Turkey.

2012 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Blanc, France, Rhone, Wine Review

Vintage:

2012

Score:

Grade:

Where to start? This is one of the great white wines of the world. Such a fascinating and contemplative wine. Made from a field blend of 80/20 Marsanne and Roussane. i was a bit aprhensive about this as Hermitage Blanc at age 6 can often be shut down. Light/medium gold. This showed quite well though. The nose is waxy with some honey and slight white floral notes. With air, almonds and slight tangerine notes. Fascinating. Slightly oily texture. Full bodied. Great minerality. Earthy with almonds and slight citrus. Long finish. Warming, not hot on the finish. Certainly some ups

2017 E. Guigal Crozes-Hermitage Blanc, France, Rhone, Wine Review

Vintage:

2017

Score:

Grade:

A-

Current Price:

$30.00USD

A very nice northern Rhone white, perhaps a bit lighter in style, but in a good way. It is a blend of 95% Marsanne, and 5% Roussanne. Light yellow/gold in color, clear and bright. The nose is nice with vanilla, peach, pears and spice. Medium bodied. Crisp acidity. On the palate, tangerine with slight lemon peel and the oak/spice continues thru to the finish. A bit of grapefruit on the finish as well. This is very nice on its own but even better with food. It went well with a vegetarian cassoulet. Drink over the next three to five years.

2024 Clos Ste. Magdeleine Cassis Blanc, France, Cassis, Wine Review

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2020 Domaine de Couron Côtes du Rhône Villages Blanc, France, Wine Review

2012 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Blanc, France, Rhone, Wine Review

2017 E. Guigal Crozes-Hermitage Blanc, France, Rhone, Wine Review