2016 Eric Texier Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc Vieilles Vignes

Community Tasting Notes (5) Avg Score: 89 points

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  2/18/2023 - Chris T Likes this wine: 92 Points

  This opened up nicely over the course of the afternoon. Honey and almond notes came out, as did herbs.

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  7/30/2022 - forceberry wrote: 87 Points

  A blend of Clairette and Bourboulenc from vineyards in Châteauneuf-du-Pape averaging +50 years old. Fermented spontaneously. Aged on the fine lees for 16-20 months in old (3rd to 5th use) oak barrels. No SO2 employed before bottling. 13,5% alcohol. Tasted blind.
  
  Quite deep and somewhat evolved golden yellow color. The nose feels big, sweet and waxy with rich aromas of honeydew melon and cantaloupe, some lifted alcohol notes, a little bit of white peach, light apple jam tones and hints of spicy herbs and garrigue. The wine feels broad and juicy on the palate with a full body and sweetly-fruited flavors of ripe white peach and cantaloupe, some herby notes, a little bit of waxy richness, light extracted spicy tones, a hint of nectarine and a touch of overripe pear. The mouthfeel is quite oily and even slightly viscous; the medium-plus acidity keeps the wine somewhat in balance, but doesn't lend much freshness or precision to the wine. The finish is rich, juicy and somewhat sweet-toned with a little bit of alcohol warmth and moderately long flavors of ripe white peach and cantaloupe, some honeyed tones, a little bit of juicy pear, light spicy herbal notes and a hint of apricot jam.
  
  A very rich, ripe and substantial white wine by all accounts. Although not too fat or blowzy, nor excessively alcoholic, this wine still suffers from the typical pitfalls of white CdP: too much body, too much ripeness and too little acidity. Texier manages to keep his wines more sophisticated and fine-tuned compared to his peers in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, but this wine is still quite ponderous and heavy compared to the lighter and more balanced Texier whites. Although we didn't guess white Châteauneuf-du-Pape immediately, we went to white Rhône varieties almost immediately and to Rhône quite soon after, so I guess the wine is quite true to the genre. Drinkable, but not my favorite style of wine, lacking the verve and freshness I look for in whites.

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  3/23/2022 - vinhonotte wrote: 89 Points

  Fairly deep yellow. Some walnut, hazelnut, and dried apricot, as well as touches of vanilla

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  8/25/2020 - tedcholl Likes this wine: 91 Points

  A blend of Clairette and Bourboulenc gave this wine a unique flavor profile of bruised apples, white peach, peach pit, and minerals,and savory spices. Wish I had a second bottle to give this time to age and retry.

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  3/5/2019 - grapenomad wrote: 86 Points

  Very floral and yeast on the first sniff, but opens up to notes of stone/tropical fruit after a few minutes in the glass. Full-bodied with a high alcohol that's out of focus. With this fact, the acidity is should be much higher for contrast. Oily, heavy texture. Good representation of the style, coming from a blazing hot region, but definitely needed more at this price point.

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