WHITE WINES
CHÂTEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE
95 Domaine Chante Cigale 2019 Extrait (Châteauneuf-du-Pape). This is a richly textured, ample blend of Roussanne (70%) and Grenache Blanc (30%) packed with flavors of fresh apricot and white peach. While full-bodied, creamy and voluminous, it’s lifted by streaks of salt, smoke and graphite along with swathes of chamomile and fresh mint that linger on the finish. Delicious young but should hold well through 2028. Fruit of the Vines, Inc. Editors’ Choice. —A.I.
abv: 14.5% Price: $75
94 Domaine du Pegau 2018 Cuvée A Tempo (Châteauneuf-du-Pape). While opulent and weighty in ripeness, there’s a delightful mineral vitality to this full-bodied blend of nearly equal parts Clairette, Grenache Blanc and Roussanne. White peach and Mirabelle flavors are succulent but pristine, etched by veins of honey, charred clove and smoke. A wine that’s especially tempting young but should drink well through 2028 at least. Hand Picked Selections. Editors’ Choice. —A.I.
abv: 14% Price: $275
94 Tardieu-Laurent 2020 Vieilles Vignes (Châteauneuf-du-Pape). Zesty streaks of Mandarin orange and quince meld into swirls of pencil shavings, vanilla and sweet spice in this freshly perfumed dry white. A Grenache-Blanc dominant blend accented by lesser proportions of Roussanne, Clairette, Bourboulenc and Picpoul, it’s a bright-fruited, youthful wine with integrated notes of oak from eight months maturation in new and one-year old barrels. At peak now until 2030, but will develop more savory complexities with further aging. 1_No Submitting Co. Editors’ Choice. —A.I.
