Maison Tardieu-Laurent Saint-Péray Vieilles Vignes 2012

II n'y a pas réellement de haute saison estivale au Havre. Pourtant, la plage de galets offre aux vacanciers des émotions et un panorama incomparables. La robe est jasmin. Dans le bouquet se prélassent des parfums de pêches, de zeste de citrons et de gingembre, qui sont vivifiés par des fragrances minérales. L'attaque est tendre. Les papilles du palais profitent d'exhalaisons iodées, de beurre salé et de pommes. La rétro-olfaction est caillouteuse. La finale est illuminée par des arômes de fleurs blanches, d'amandes et de brioche aux agrumes frais. L'une des stars de l'appellation.

Le Magazine du Vin , 2014-10-23

NickOnWine’s Wine Of The Year 2014

Forbes , *****

It perfectly captures the combination of sensuality and racy energy that marks great whites of the Rhône. This lovely wine comes from a tiny appellation of Saint-Peray at the southern end of the northern Rhône known, if at all, for it’s sparkling wines. “Michel Tardieu is one of the most admired négociants in the region. Over the years he has worked tirelesly to establish long-term relationships with vignerons who cultivate old vines in prime locations, and is thus able to produce tightly focused, intense wines like this beauty from the lieu-dit of La Côte. “Lush with the flavors of Provencal summer peaches and Cavaillon melons yet with the sort of grip and focus that prevents it from being flabby. “Half the assemblage is 100-plus year old Marsanne vines, half 40 year old Roussanne vines, and from such venerable antiquity great wine flows

Forbes , ***** , 2014-12-20

Creamy and enticing, with salted butter, white peach and Jonagold apple flavors, offset through the finish with a lightly firm stony edge that adds cut and length.

James Molesworth
Wine Spectator , 91/100 , 2014-05-31

Light gold. Poached pear, lemon zest, chalky minerals and white flowers on the highly perfumed nose, with a gingery nuance adding lift. Dry and precise, offering refreshingly bitter citrus zest and pear skin flavors that become smokier with air. Shows impressive tension on the clinging finish, leaving notes of dusty minerals and jasmine behind. Michel Tardieu told me that the marsanne vines here are over a century old while the roussanne was planted in the early 1970s.

Josh Raynolds
Stephen Tanzer International Cellar , 91/100 , 2014-04-01

Big, ripe and fleshy, with notions of tropical fruit, dried pineapple, brioche and buttered toast, it hits the palate with loads of fruit and texture, yet stays beautifully pure, fresh and clean. It’s impressive.

Jeb Dunnuck
Wine Advocate , 90-92/100 , 2013-12-01