2014 Château de Montfaucon Clairette "Vin de Mme la Comtesse" Côtes du Rhône Vieilles Vignes Blanc
SKU #1275660
91 points
Wine Spectator
Features a lovely, lush, creamy feel, with toasted macadamia nut notes weaving around the orange sabayon, lemon curd and wet straw flavors. Shows a light verbena echo through the finish. Very flattering, with a twinge of bitter orange keeping this honest. Clairette. Drink now. 180 cases made. (JM)
(11/2015)
K&L Notes
This exquisite vineyard was planted in the 1870s (that's not a typo). These old gnarly vines with their highly restricted yields produce some of the richest most concentrated Clairette in the entire Rhone Valley. Planted on a mix of sand, clay and pudding stones, this wine is the essence of sleek minerality. A touch of barrel fermentation adds volume and structure. The flavors resonate with ripe stone fruit flavors and white flowers, a touch of anise rounds out the finish. This reminds us of Chateau de Beaucastel's Chateauneuf Vieilles Vignes Blanc which sells for well over $100 a bottle. This is just as limited and just as cool for only $30. An 88-acre estate, Château de Montfaucon sits just across the Rhône River from the esteemed vineyards of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. It is owned and operated by Rodolphe de Pins, a UC Davis graduate and former member of the winemaking staff at Domaine du Vieux Telegraphe. Over the years, Château de Montfaucon has developed a HUGE following amongst both our staff and customers.