Cuvée Réserve Châteauneuf-du-Pape White Rhone Blend

Popped and poured; no formal notes. As a long-time admirer of Laurence's Cuvée Réservée Rouge, this was my first time trying her Blanc. Admittedly, I have often struggled with white wines from the Rhône as they too often lack the acid I want. This is partly why I haven't made it a priority. However, I've had some very impressionable moments with well-aged Hermitage Blanc so I have remained open minded. Which leads me to this bottle of 2021 Cuvée Reservée Blanc; a blend of mostly Clairette with some Grenache blanc, Bourboulenc and a touch of Roussanne. From the very first smell, I was convinced that I had been clearly missing out. Beautifully perfumed with white flowers, cantaloupe, apricot and just a little citrus. This was so fresh, so sexy. It was equally sexy on the palate where all the notes were packaged in the most delightfully silky texture. The finish was long. It should be noted that we paired with rainbow trout, zucchini, summer squash topped with yuzu tobiko. This pairing slapped. Based off this experience, I would drink these now. That's not to say that they will be undrinkable with a few more years of age but I guess, why wait? The freshness is awesome and super compelling right now.

Crisp ripe apple and a bit of clove. Lovely oily wine that went amazing with Iberico