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...
This is my first time trying this producer. It is a blend of 72% Roussanne, 24% Chardonnay, and 4% Viognier. Opened and allowed to breathe for an hour prior to consuming. Delicious. Golden in color, clear and bright. The nose shows some toasty oak, roasted almonds, Lemon flan, and slight wax/vanilla. Yet, for all those oak notes on the nose, it takes a back seat on the palate which has lemons, waxy lemons, and slight ginger notes. It is a big wine, but not a fruit bomb, more of a presence. Enough acidity to carry the fruit. Long finish. This is delicious on its own, but also worke
Brézème actually sits between the Northern and Southern Rhone Appellations and is the only Cotes-du-Rhone appellation with its own AOC. This is their white coming from a biodynamically farmed vineyard. The wine is made in a natural way with little sulfur and from vines planted in 2009. Golden in color, clear and bright. The nose is interesting as it shows a persistent vanilla streak. I don't think the wine sees any oak as it aged on its lees in concrete. There is also a white raisin note and slight citrus (tangerine). Medium bodied. On the palate, there is a slight cider/oxidized no
One of my favorite Cal Rhone White wines. I really need to let one of these age. At age 5, this one is singing right from popping the cork. It is a blend of 30% Roussane, 25% Marsanne, 20% Grenache Blanc, 15% Picpoul, and 10% Vermentino. Light golden in color. The nose has peach, melon, slight vanilla candle, minerals and lime pith. Full bodied. This has a big mouthfeel. Not quite viscous, but a strong presence. Notes of peach, vanilla and wax with great underlying minerality. A nice touch of acidity to keep things bright. Depth and complexity. Nice finish. This is drinking you
My first time trying this wine. It is 55% Grenache Blanc, 32% Roussanne, 8% Chenin Blanc, and 5% Petit Menseng. It is fantastic. Golden in color with just the slightest ruby coloring to it. The nose is tight at first but opens up nicely in the glass. Aromas of caramelized pears, orange peel, wax, and chalk. Full bodied. It is a big wine but deep with complex layers of pears, oranges, spice and smoke. Long finish. Delicious. This drinks great on its own and will work well with bigger foods. Roasted fowl would be a good match. This is drinking great now and should continue for ten
This is mostly Roussane with 3% Viognier. At age 8, it is drinking quite well. Medium straw/gold in color, clear and bright. The nose is very nice with peaches, white pepper, wax, and slight minerality. Full bodied. Round texture. The peaches come thru along with an underlying minerality. Nice finish. At this point, this works much better with food. It worked great with a thin crust veggie pizza. This probably should be consumed over the next five to seven years.
This is a blend of Roussanne, Grenache Blanc, Picpoul Blanc, Picardan, and Clairette Blanche. From a 375ml size bottle which is a great format for early drinking or when one wants just another glass or two. Light golden in color, clear and bright. The nose is nice with pears, spice, slight wax, and slight honey. On the palate, this is full bodied. The pears come thru along with the baking spices. Good balance. Light tannins. Long finish. White Rhone varietals can be tricky to age, but this seems like it should be good for five to seven and probably more. It will work well with sea
Another winner from Denner. A blend of 96% Syrah, 2% Roussanne, 2% Viognier. Inky purple in color, a thin ruby rim. The nose is big and warm. Black raspberries, black pepper, slight roasted meats, slight black olives. On the palate, this is delicious. Full bodied. Black raspberry fruit, roasted meats and herbs and a bit of black pepper. Lush texture. Long finish. This is easy to drink. On its own, this is perfect, however, it will continue to evolve over the next five to seven years and be more complex and food friendly. It will go well with roasts and meat casseroles.
Light green/gold in color. The nose is floral with white peaches and a sort of pastel candied quality to it. On the palate, this has a nice oily texture. some peaches. Clean. Easy drinking. Nice finish. Not sure how this ages or even if it is. Rhone whites are hard to predict and this is an entry level wine. I preferred this to the Marsanne though both are good values.
Mostly Syrah with a bit of Rousanne. The 2011's from Saxum are in a great place right now. They drink a bit younger than most of Justin Smith's wines. Pop and pour, this one was great. Inky purple in color. The nose has black raspberries, roasted meats, white pepper and "purple" floral notes. On the palate, this has a great texture. Big but not blowsy. Lots of energy. Good acidity. Notes of black raspberries over char and spice. Long finish. This was great on its own (with a cigar) by the fire but will work well with heavier stews and roasted meats, or even cheeses. No hurry, t
