Roussanne

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.  

This is a blend of 66% Roussanne, 21% Grenache Blanc, 8% Picpoul Blanc, 3% Picardin and 2% Clairette Blanche.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose has pears, peaches, some minerality and spice.  Full bodied.  On the palate, pears and peaches with good acidity.  A roundness of the wine makes it very accessible.  Long finish.  Still youthful, there is plenty of depth and complexity.  White Rhone varietals are notoriously difficult to guess an ageing curve, but this should easily have a decade left.  It worked quite well with a Caprese Salad and also Guacamole.  

This is a blend of 53% Roussanne, 23% Viognier and 19% Chardonnay.  At age 12, this took only a few minutes to open and then was drinking well.  Deep golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose has wax lemons, and some gunpowder.  Full bodied.  Showing just as slight touch of oxidation as older white Rhone varietals often do.  The palate has lemons, pith and vanilla.  Long finish.  This is very tasty and quite complex.  There is some serious weight to this wine.  It drinks great on its own but will work even better with food.  Its hard to put a drinking window on white Rhone varietals but

White Rhone wines can be so finicky, so when a friend opened this for his birthday, it was nice to see this was firing on all cylinders.  Earlier in the day while reading a book about the White House and Wine, it mentioned that Thomas Jefferson referred to White Hermitage as France's greatest white wine, and this bottle gave that some credence.  These wines are so unique when on that they are not for everyone.  It doesn't seem fair to group with Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc as they drink more like a red in that they are not crisp or refreshing or tart.  This one is golden in color, clear a

White Rhone wines are such a tricky thing to age.  This should have been great but alas, it wasn't.  It seemed dead on opening but eventually showed a bit of life, but not what one hopes for.  Deep gold in color.  The nose initially offers some cider notes but with air, some wax, almonds and maybe fresh apples.  Full bodied.  On the palate, not much at first but with some air, a bit of citrus and slight minerals.  Followed over tow hours or so, it just never really showed up.  It probably would pay to open early, let it breathe and if necessary, give it a decant.  If it opens up, re-cork un

This is a Marsanne/Roussanne blend from the northern Rhone were less than 10% of production is in white grapes.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is all about minerality with a slight waxy/apple note as well.  Medium bodied.

Nice to try this on its own (not compared to its big brother).  Very crisp and refreshing.  What it might lack in depth it makes up for in energy.  Medium golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose has slight wax, peach, and slight white flower notes.  Medium to full bodied.  Lovely acidity.  On the palate, ginger, tangerine and peach with some minerality.  Nice finish.  This will drink well over the next ten to twelve years.  It worked very well with vegetarian spring rolls and chips and guacamole.  

This is their take on a white Chateauneuf du Pape and they do it very well.

This is an excellent wine, but consumed side by side with the regular bottling of the JL L'Hermitage Blanc, it does not have the power or concentration.  Medium golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose has slight wax, peach, vanilla and slight white flower notes.  Medium to full bodied.  On the palate, ginger, citrus with some minerality.  Nice finish.  This is not yet at peak and should have ten to twelve years left.  A nice match with hearty fish or non-meat pasta dishes.  

White Rhone's can be tricky to time as they age, but this was firing on all cylinders.  Medium golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is great with wax, ginger, orange peel and floral notes.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this is deep and complex.  the ginger and orange peel carries thru but its the minerality that really stands out.  Enough acidity but not a lot.  Long finish.  Delicious wine that keeps improving with air.  It demands attention.  This drinks well on its own and will work well with spicy foods.  Still youthful, this should last another twenty five years with no problem