Clos Saint Michel's 2021 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc is a limpid, medium golden blend of 30% Clairette, 30% Grenache Blanc, 20% Bourboulenc and 20% Roussanne. Offering an intense aromatic array of baked apples, orange blossoms, yellow peaches, honey and paprika, it is a medium-bodied white with low-to-medium acidity and comparable flavors that include a modicum of oak-influenced vanilla. Dense on the mid-palate and medium-to-long on the finish, this is a very enjoyable white Rhone that would be even better with a bit more acid. Parenthetically, this was tasted over a three-hour period after wrestling with a recently-purchased bottle that had a difficult, dry, crumbly cork. The cork was ultimately pushed into the bottle and the wine was decanted through a fine screen. In the grand scheme of things, this extra degree of aeration may have been helpful. Drink now-2028.
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Complex fruit, full-bodied, sufficient acidity, good length - subtle and complex - it can be drunk either now or again after a couple of years of cellar maturity. I think it’ll get better and rounder after a some years in the cellar.
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Lots of funky, wet cellar notes on the nose give way to a nice blend of fruit, floral notes and some earthy complexity. Low acidity, did not pair well with grilled chicken but I could imagine it going very well with sharper cheeses or a charcuterie board.
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1/4/2024 - La Cave d'Argent Likes this wine: 90 Points
Clos Saint Michel's 2021 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc is a limpid, medium golden blend of 30% Clairette, 30% Grenache Blanc, 20% Bourboulenc and 20% Roussanne. Offering an intense aromatic array of baked apples, orange blossoms, yellow peaches, honey and paprika, it is a medium-bodied white with low-to-medium acidity and comparable flavors that include a modicum of oak-influenced vanilla. Dense on the mid-palate and medium-to-long on the finish, this is a very enjoyable white Rhone that would be even better with a bit more acid. Parenthetically, this was tasted over a three-hour period after wrestling with a recently-purchased bottle that had a difficult, dry, crumbly cork. The cork was ultimately pushed into the bottle and the wine was decanted through a fine screen. In the grand scheme of things, this extra degree of aeration may have been helpful. Drink now-2028.
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7/7/2023 - p.schw. Likes this wine: 90 Points
Complex fruit, full-bodied, sufficient acidity, good length - subtle and complex - it can be drunk either now or again after a couple of years of cellar maturity. I think it’ll get better and rounder after a some years in the cellar.
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6/18/2023 - Gentry856 Likes this wine: 89 Points
Lots of funky, wet cellar notes on the nose give way to a nice blend of fruit, floral notes and some earthy complexity. Low acidity, did not pair well with grilled chicken but I could imagine it going very well with sharper cheeses or a charcuterie board.
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