As a red wine fan who rarely gets excited about whites, this wine really caught me off guard.  It was that good.  White Chateauneufs rarely get enough attention in this country, and you don't see them around on many restaurant lists.  Mille Fleurs in Rancho Santa Fe has the 2004 vintage of this wine on it's wine list, and I was fortunate enough to have a bottle while enjoying some freshly shucked raw oysters and a cup of lobster bisque at their bar on a recent Friday night.

The wine opens with an invigorating bouquet of pear, fresh cut flowers and honeysuckle.  Peach is prominent on the palate, and the wine has a wonderful stoney minerality.  There are no grassy notes to this wine.  This wine will pair well with many lighter foods, and will be of interest to those who like wines with more complexity and less oak than the standard white wine offerings that are popular these days.

The wine is a blend of roughly 1/3 Grenach Blanc, 1/3 Rousanne, and the rest Bourboulenc and Clairette.  Here is a word of advice to those who rarely like white wine, especially Chardonnay, but need something light to pair with shellfish and other lighter fare.  Try this wine (or any high quality white Chateauneuf du Pape).

The wine retails for $45.00 at local wine shops if you can find it.  I believe it was priced at about $80 at Mille Fleurs, which is a fair mark-up for a 5 star restaurant.

4 stars

 

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