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Understanding and succeeding this vintage required, indeed, presence in the Vineyard, careful work, experience, and even, clearly, a genuine expertise...
Winter temperatures amongst the mildest in the decade, rainfall amounts amongst the highest ever in winter, among the lowest ever in spring, and a nice output of grapes throughout the Rhone cépages : everything would raise hope of an early vintage, the ever expected Vintage, satisfactory both in terms of quantity and of quality ! But it was not counting on an unusually cool and rainy summer... Vignerons are soon confronted with quite a few difficulties, the trickiest one being the management of diseases…
The first three weeks of September revive the vintage... September, the month of wine !
Les Vins Blancs are of very high level, in line with the preceding Vintage.
2014 demanded, especially during the final weeks, hard, incessant work. The vines were in demand. It was crucial to understand, to be able to anticipate...This required a bit of wisdom, reason, intuition...
A vintage for Vignerons, indeed. And the best ones did perform with talent. They are now rewarded. As for the others, alas... There, is the whole difference.
La Crau, le Belvédère.
Type of soilRound pebbles and sand.
AgeingAgeing 12 months in new and one year old barrels. Allier et Tronçais.
12°C
Decant just before service.
This wine is beautifully balanced, with notes of star anise and liquorice, amongst many more...
13,5%
BottlingWithout fining and light filtration.
CépagesGrenache blanc : 50 % Roussanne : 50 %
Another terrific white is the 2014 Châteauneuf du Pape Vieilles Vignes Blanc. Made from equal parts Grenache Blanc and Roussanne from the La Crau and Belvedere lieux-dits, it spent 12 months on lees in new and one-year-old barrels prior to bottling. Surprisingly, given its stint in barrel, it has a clean, classic feel in its citrus blossom, crisp minerality and lemon peel aromatics. These give way to a beautiful, medium to full-bodied, nicely concentrated, yet overall fresh white that can be enjoyed anytime over the coming 5-6 years. Given its concentration, I suspect even longer.
Jeb Dennuck
Wine Advocate
, 91/100
, 2015-10-01
Mid straw. Smoky reductive nose. Some peachy fruit on the palate but much less nerve than on the Guy Louis 2014. Big and boisterous. A little sweet and sherbet-like on the finish.
Jancis Robinson
, 16/20
, 2015-10-30
White peach, yellow apple and green melon notes form the core, with bright chamomile and quinine details adding freshness through the lengthy finish.
James Molesworth
Wine Spectator Insider
, 92/100
, 2016-04-06