Virtual
This was a tasting of 6 wines – three from Condrieu and three from Chateauneuf du Pape – in hopes of selecting one for a future Repast instead of the traditional chardonnays. It ended with a winner, but by only one point.
Rhone whites are known for being lower in acid than most other French whites. This means that they don’t need to be paired with food to be enjoyed and they are more pleasing to American pallets than French Chardonnays and Sauvignon Blancs. These wines are fresh and fruity when young and go very well with food.
The Condrieus are made from the Viognier grape and the Chateauneuf du Papes are usually blends, but sometimes can be 80% or 90% or more of the most common varietals which are Grenache Blanc, Clairette and Roussanne.
Steve gave an excellent presentation, and was applauded by our preferred guest and sommelier Michael Perry. For a copy of Steve’s presentation click here.
Here are the results, after adjusting for two members who (inadvertently?) voted twice:
White Rhone Ranking
| Rank | Points | Wine | Price | Bottle |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 69 | 2018 Domaine Saint Préfert Châteauneuf du Pape Blanc | $64.99 | 2 |
| 2 | 70 | 2018 Yves Cuilleron “La Petite Côte” Condrieu | $49.99 | 5 |
| 3 | 74 | 2018 Domaine Faury Condrieu | $59.99 | 1 |
| 4 | 84 | 2018 Clos de la Bonnette “Légende Bonnetta” Condrieu | $59.99 | 3 |
| 5 | 88 | 2019 Domaine de Beaurenard Châteauneuf du Pape Blanc | $59.99 | 4 |
| 6 | 98 | 2018 Chateau Gigognan “Closdu Rois” Châteauneuf du Pape Blanc | $39.99 | 6 |
There were also two pre-tasting wines:
2019 Yves Cuilleron Viognier “Les Vignes d’a Coté” Collines Rhodaniennes $24.99
2019 Chateau Gigognan “Bois des Moines” Côtes-du-Rhône Blanc $19.99
The individual votes are shown below:
Cellar Society of San Francisco 