2021 Éric Texier Châteauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes Blanc

Aromas of quince, white peach, and orange blossom are underscored by a savory note of dried herbs and a light almond quality. The palate is full-bodied and generous, showing ripe stone fruit and a waxy richness balanced by bright saline minerality and a firm, food-friendly acidity. With time in the glass, it hints at the more complex, honeyed depths it will develop with age.

Sourced from 50-year-old bush vines on a small parcel in the lieu-dit of Bois Sénéchaux, the grapes are direct pressed and cold settled naturally before alcoholic and malolactic fermentation in old oak barrels using indigenous yeasts. The wine ages on its lees for 16 to 20 months without racking, then is bottled without fining, filtration, or the addition of sulfur. Only around four barrels are produced each year.

The Bois Sénéchaux parcel sits on a northerly-exposed, flat, stony site with cool clay-based soils over galets roulés, providing warmth for ripening while retaining soil moisture. Texier considers Châteauneuf-du-Pape the greatest white wine terroir in the Rhône Valley, and this equal blend of Clairette and Bourboulenc from old vines makes a compelling case for that claim.