WineBloggingWednesday #46: White Rhone Wines with Dr. Debs of Good Wine Under $20

Each month wine bloggers around the world unite for a virtual wine tasting labeled “Wine Blogging Wednesday.” A particular blog is chosen as the host for the event who then picks a theme and a Wednesday on which the wine blogging community gets together to post their wine and a few tasting notes.

This month our host is Dr. Deb’s of Good Wine Under $20. Her theme which I greatly appreciate is white wines from the Rhone. We’ve been tasting and drinking a good amount of Rhone wines lately, but only 10 or so white wines in the last few months from the Rhone. This was a good reason to open a bottle of Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc I’ve been waiting anxiously to try. (For more on Chateauneuf, click here!)

The wine I chose is the 2003 Tardieu-Laurent Châteauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes (vines pictured below). This wine comes from an established producer who makes good to great wines throughout the Rhone Valley. Recently, Michel Tardieu put out a 2005 Chateauneuf-du-Pape (CdP) red wine that has received outstanding ratings and praise, including a score of 96 pts from the Wine Spectator’s James Molesworth (of whom I have great respect as a wine critic). This was my first Tardieu-Laurent white wine, though I’ve had many of his reds across a variety of vintages. I enjoy his style of wine very much finding them consistently hold true to the characteristics of both the fruit and terroir. I do recommend them highly if you enjoy Rhone wines or are looking to expand your palate to Southern France.

The 2003 Tardieu-Laurent CdP Vieilles Vignes is a great wine. As are most Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blancs, the wine isn’t cheap at around $50. But it definitely delivers quailty and a unique drinking experience. Made of 50% Grenache blanc and 50% Roussane, it’s not your typical white wine. The vines themselves have some good age to them; over 50 years for Grenache, 10 to 20 for Roussane, but the oak used in aging was all new. The wine has 14% alcohol, which was apparent at first but went away within an hour. I served the wine a few degrees below cellar temperature (around 55 degrees) which helps in evaluating the individual components of the wine. This ‘05 Tardieu-Laurent CdP Blanc has some interesting flavors (such as sesame oil and banana) and a unique texture and acidity that you might not find anywhere else in the world. If you can track down the bottle of the 2003, it’s drinking nicely now and may even improve in the next year or two. The ‘05 was an exceptional vintage all through France and would make for a great choice if you like this style of wine.

Overall it was another successful WineBloggingWednesday! Thanks to our host, Dr. Debs. Be sure to check her website in the next week for the full roundup of all the wines from the world of wine bloggers.

Tasting Note: 2003 Tardieu-Laurent Chateauneuf-du-Pape Blanc: Served a few degrees below cellar temperature (around 55 degrees). Pale gold color with good weight in the glass. Subtle heat on the nose with apricot, almond, Asian pear,sesame oil. The wine starts of a bit reserved, then some apple, banana and mineral notes arrive with zingy acidity and a little heat. The finish has good acidity as well with a touch of mild oak and nuttiness that shows up and lasts 30 seconds until a bit of grapefruit appears. The heat goes away after an hour, perhaps a quick decant would do the trick. My rating: 91 pts, GV