Domaine de la Bastide Côtes du Rhône BLANC 2023

Alcohol: 14%

Grape(s): 35% Viognier, 40% Roussanne, 25% Clairette

Localization: Southern France, Rhône Valley, France

Tasting Notes: The wine is pale lemon-pulp yellow, with a fragrant nose of honeysuckle, orange blossom, fresh peach, mandarin orange, and Meyer lemon zest. The medium-bodied palate strikes a beautiful balance between a lush ripe peach front palate and an energetic core of zesty citrus freshness. The focused finish adds a refreshing note of citrus peel that calls you back for another glass.

Food pairing: It is enough to be delicious all on its own and has the depth and richness to shine with meals, from a white pizza to take-out Pad Thai or other Asian dishes. 

The Domain: Domaine de la Bastide is an ancient southern Rhône property formerly run by Benedictine monks and before that as a farm by Knights Templar. Second-generation Vincent Boyer has plenty of artifacts to prove that, including ancient coins and centuries-old wine vat. The Boyer family bought it in 1989 and today Vincent and his wife Stephanie are the second generations to run it. It lies in the cru Villages of Visan, where he promotes low yields on the stony soils to ensure the real intensity of flavor.

Domaine de la Bastide’s vineyards are near the village of Visan in the far northern reaches of the Cotes du Rhone appellation and within sight of the hills that define the eastern edge of the Rhone Valley. While there’s still plenty of sunshine and mid-day heat here, the nights cool off more quickly than further south making the limestone soils exceptionally well suited to fresh, delicious, whites.

This Côtes du Rhône Blanc is a blend of organically farmed 15+-year-old vines. After careful harvest during cool early morning hours, the fruit was destemmed and fermented in stainless steel vats.