The results

These weighty but food-friendly whites are inexpensive and offer an exciting mix of Rhône varieties – what’s not to love, asked our cheerful panel. Amy Wislocki reports

WE’RE in An area where the focus is most definitely red. But overlook the whites of the southern Rhône and you will be missing out on a great source of good-value wine styles, cautioned our tasters, who were impressed by the quality and excitement on offer.

Simon Field MW confessed that he arrived for the tasting with some trepidation. ‘i think the reputation of white Rhône is of overripe, oxidised, coarse, poorly made wines – we had none of that today,’ he said. ‘These wines offer the ABC (Anything But Chardonnay) factor, with real varietal definition and expression [permitted grapes include Bourboulenc, Clairette, Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Roussanne and Viognier].

‘Southern Rhône whites have also been renowned for generations as great food wines, and the gastronomic potential was clear today. You want a bit of fat, some glycerol, but the balance was there – and in most, the alcohol wasn’t overstated.’

The clear favourite was Châteauneuf-du-Pape, well represented in the top-scoring wines. ‘in the past these wines could be over-extracted and over-concentrated, heavy and overoaked,’ said Matt Walls. ‘This wasn’t the case at all here. The wines had freshness; the oak was dialled down and that allowed the energy and vibrancy that comes from the terroir to sing, without being masked by oak.’ Laurent Richet MS agreed: ‘These wines had freshness, acidity, elevation and great balance.’

More care is needed when selecting wines at Côtes du Rhône blanc level. ‘These were very up and down,’ said Walls. ‘There was very little consistency of style, or quality, and this is an appellation where you shouldn’t buy blind. There are so many soils, terroirs, varietal options and winemaking styles that it’s unsurprising.’

‘Yes, if we were tasting red Côtes du Rhône, you’d be

looking at 60% Grenache, but the whites are far more varied,’ added Field. Richet agreed that it was a mixed bag at this level, but pointed out that most of the wines were well made.

All three tasters preferred the 2016 wines over those from the hotter 2015 vintage, though Richet felt that the weight of the 2015 whites made them ideal for drinking with food. ‘But some of the 2015s were already mature and even beginning to look like they should be drunk already – a bit flabby and lacking in freshness,’ argued Walls. ‘The 2016s were more positive in terms of concentration of flavour, freshness and definition.

‘in general, it’s best to buy the youngest vintage you can find with these wines,’ Walls advised, with Field adding that fresh vintages like 2016 and 2014 are best.

Other categories singled out for praise included Ventoux and Costières de nîmes (‘vibrant, easy drinking and not overworked’, Richet) and Lirac (‘fresh, mediumbodied with a mineral edge’, Walls), with Cairanne a particular star. Field described the Cairanne wines as having a chalky salinity and impressive length. Walls revealed that when buying white southern Rhône, Cairanne is the appellation he chooses most regularly – ‘You get a bit more fat, weight and richness compared to Lirac. i find it consistently good from year to year, and the wines are very good value, characterful and balanced.’ Quite an endorsement.

‘These wines have been renowned for generations as great food wines; these had that fat, glycerol quality but were in balance’ Simon Field MW