Côtes du Rhône Blanc you ask? 60% Viognier 40% Clairette from Gramenon's own vineyard in Vinsobres, Rhône.
The aromatics are coaxed out over time in the glass, with citrus peel, white peach, yellow orchard fruits, and a touch of white flowers. The palate reveals supple texture and a subtle mineral streak that carries the fruit across a long, lively finish. A superb example of the oft-overlooked Côtes du Rhône Blanc painted in vivid, joyous colour.
Michèle Aubéry-Laurent and her son Maxime run Domaine Gramenon in Montbrison-sur-Lez, in the northern Rhône, producing some of the region’s most acclaimed natural wines. Michèle, a former nurse, brought the same care and conviction to the vineyard that she once gave her patients, stepping up to lead the estate after her husband Philippe’s tragic death in 1999. Today she and Maxime work 26 hectares of old and young vines, farming organically and biodynamically, while embracing a non-interventionist approach in the cellar. Using gravity-fed tanks, oak demi-muids and foudres, and bottling with minimal sulfur, the Laurents produce clean and precise wines of startling freshness and intensity. They are highly sought-after by lovers of the Rhône and natural wines alike.
