Country: | France |
Region: | Rhone |
Winery: | Charles Thomas |
Grape Type: | Viognier |
Vintage: | 2017 |
Bottle Size: | 750 ml |
Charles Thomas Cotes du Rhone Blanc 70% Grenache Blanc, 15% Roussanne, 10% Marsanne, 5% Viognier
Bright yellow in color. The nose has a nice aromatic expression with white peach, apricot, candied lemon and lime notes. The palate is tasty and has a great generosity, a nice sweep on the attack and a crispy and acidulous finish.
Traditional vinification. The grapes are pressed upon their arrival in the winery. Low temperature fermentation in thermo-regulated stainless steel. Each grape variety is vinified separately and then assembled before ageing.
Excellent wine for an aperitif. It pairs perfectly with grilled fish, platters of seafood and shellfish. It also goes well with simple dishes: pizzas, salads, tabbouleh or steamed vegetables. Cheeses: Goat cheese, Blue cheese and hard cheese such Comté.
Corne Loup Cotes du Rhone Blanc is made from 50% Grenache Blanc, 20% Clairette, 15% Roussanne and 15% Viognier.
The wine has a pale straw color with brilliant reflection. In the nose, it displays great aromatics, mainly citrus fruit. The palate is well balanced, with a lot of finesse and persistence.
Delicious when paired with seafood (seashell and fish). It is also great by itself as an aperitif.
Grand Veneur Cotes Du Rhone Viognier Blanc is made from 100% Viognier.
Soil: clay/sand with limestone.
Yield: 38 Hl / hectare
Hand-picked harvest. Vinification in stainless steel vats at a controlled temperature of 18°C.
Bottled early, 6 months after the harvest.
The color is clear and brilliant. A very intense nose of flowers, white peach and pear. On the palate, aromas are expressed with balance and an amazing freshness. A great example of Rhone white, single grape "Viognier".
To be enjoyed young, but can age for 3-5 years.
Soil types
Located next to the single vineyard “Les Champauvins”, nearby the Domaine Grand Veneur. Soils are made of clay and sand with limestone.
Winemaking & aging
Hand-picked harvest. Fermentation in temperature-controled vats. Early bottling, 6 months after harvest.
Bernardins Beaumes de Venise Rouge Cru Cotes du Rhone is made from 65% Grenache, 25% Syrah, 5% Mourvedre and 5% Grenache Blanc.
Bright ruby color with cherry tinges. Complex black fruit aromas on the nose enhanced by spicy notes. Rounded palate with good length.
The wine is drinking well right now and can be kept for another 10 years.
Situation
Spreads out over the south-east side of the Dentelles de Montmirail hills, in Beaumes de Venise in the southern part of the Rhone valley.
Terroir
On a poor sandy, hungry and arid soil consisting of tender limestone and gritty zones of sandy mollasse.
In the vineyard
The vineyards and their terroir are the essence of our wines. This is where everything starts and where we focus our efforts throughout the year. You can’t make great wine without great grapes.
The viticulture is essentially done by hand. Five people work full-time in the vineyards. They are supplemented by seasonal employees who work during bunch thinning and the harvest in order to bring out the very best in our vines. Working by hand and the attention each vine gets are fundamental. Pruning, de-budding, trellising, leaf removal and picking are thus carried out by hand with the utmost care.
We prepare the soil by using good old-fashioned ploughing. Organic compost is made from grape marc (the discarded stalks and skins).
As a way of protecting the plants, we only use phytosanitary products when necessary and within strict guidelines by staggering the treatments appropriately, to minimise the amount of chemicals used. We prefer to use as much as possible manual and organic techniques . Leaving natural grass cover, removing buds and leaves from the vines, preserving biodiversity around the vineyard: olive, almond and cypress trees, wild rosemary and capers.
Winemaking
We make two red wines at the estate. Terroir wines shaped by the two classic Côtes du Rhône varieties: Grenache and Syrah. We don’t follow any winemaking recipe but are constantly searching for the perfect expression of terroir and each vintage’s particular characteristics. We don’t go for overripe grapes and over-extraction, as we think the wine has to stay refreshing and balanced.
Leaving the wine for 15 days in concrete vats, we try to gently extract the tannins and anthocyanins essential for the wine’s structure and colour. The wine doesn’t come into any contact with wood during ageing. This way the characteristics of our terroir can fully express
Serve with a meal especially red meat, game and cheese.
Review:
"Interesting blend, and it comes through on the nose - it's a fruity, floral style of Beaumes that's really appealing. Full-bodied, rounded, generous and fluid, with very fine tannins. This is a real success in 2021. Also contains 5% Mourvèdre and 4% Grenache Blanc. No destemming, aged 12 months in stainless steel."
- Decanter (September 2022), 93 pts
Alain Jaume Bellissime Cotes du Rhone Rose is made from 50% Grenache Noir, 25% Cinsault, 20% Syrah and 5% Mourvedre
Salmon-pink color, clear and brilliant. The nose is fruity and spicy, reminiscent of wild strawberry and fine Provencal spices. The palate is full, well-balanced and fruity, with a long, fresh finish. A beautiful and delicate rosé.
A part is drawn off the skins with short maceration and the other part is from direct press. Fermentation in stainless steel at cool temperature. Bottling 5 months after harvest.
Alain Jaume Bellissime Cotes du Rhone Rose is made from 50% Grenache Noir, 25% Cinsault, 20% Syrah and 5% Mourvedre
Salmon-pink color, clear and brilliant. The nose is fruity and spicy, reminiscent of wild strawberry and fine Provencal spices. The palate is full, well-balanced and fruity, with a long, fresh finish. A beautiful and delicate rosé.
A part is drawn off the skins with short maceration and the other part is from direct press. Fermentation in stainless steel at cool temperature. Bottling 5 months after harvest.
Charles Thomas Cotes du Rhone Blanc 70% Grenache Blanc, 15% Roussanne, 10% Marsanne, 5% Viognier
Holding a nose of white peach and apricot with a hint of citrus zest. The Viognier is bright on the palate, but with weight thanks to the Roussanne in the blend. Lemon and other citrus flavors converge on the crisp finish.
The Charles Thomas Estate
This Estate is located in the GARD department near Pont Saint Esprit (10 miles North-West of Orange).
The Charles Thomas Vineyard
56 Ha grown organically since March 2009 (in conversion).
Part of the vineyard is plowed with horses.
4 varietals are produced: 29 Hectares (72 acres) of Syrah, 22 Hectares (54.5 acres) of Grenache, 3 Hectares (7.5 acres) of Mourvedre and 2 Hectares (5 acres) of Carignan.
Mechanical harvest.
Yields: 48 hectoliters per Hectares.
Average age of the vines : 30 years old.
The vineyard is situated in an archeological site that has revealed many artifacts dating back from the 4th Century.
Biondi Santi Tenuta Greppo Riserva is made from 100% Sangiovese Grosso.
A rare wine, renowned for its extraordinary ability to age, the Biondi-Santi Riserva is produced only in the best vintages. From 1888 until today, only 41 vintages have been released.
Vineyard Profile
Vintage Report
A majestic vintage where structure, elegance and freshness combine to form something special. 2015 was a hot and dry year with constant warm temperatures from May through August which permitted the production of perfectly ripe, concentrated grapes. At the beginning of September the “tramontana” a wind coming from the north, refreshed and restored the plants before the final phase of maturation, which was characterized by significant day-night temperature, typical of our high-altitude vineyards.
Vinification
Technical Information
Tasting Notes
The 2015 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva is a truly majestic wine. The bouquet is packed with intense fruity notes of black berries, pomegranate and plums, intertwined with scents of Mediterranean herbs such as thyme, rosemary and sage, rising from a carpet of forest floor. On the palate, the wine seduces with exuberant charm and caressing sweetness. The youthful tannins reveal its immense structure and contribute to creating a distinctive sensation of freshness which leads us towards a long-lingering, savory finish.
Review:
The Biondi-Santi 2015 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva is initially a reticent wine and one that does not immediately subscribe to the overstated abundance and exuberance of the vintage. Give it time. I wrote this review after several tastings over several days so I could ensure a more accurate account of the wine's elegant reveal. Contemplative and exceedingly nuanced in personality, with wild berry, underbrush, ferrous earth and candied orange peel, this has everything to look forward to in terms of its future evolution in the bottle. It displays a pretty ruby color that borders on garnet and polished copper. A silky, mid-weight palate is accented by beautifully managed and silky tannins (this aspect of the mouthfeel is extraordinary), bright freshness and long-lasting fruit momentum. The alcohol is a bit more powerful in this release (at 14.5%), but the effect is supple and smooth nonetheless. I tasted bottle number 256. Tenuta Biondi Santi does not usually release bottle production numbers, but I can confirm that 2,000 bottles of the 2015 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva are earmarked for the United States market.
-Wine Advocate 98+ Points
Boussey Savigny les Beaune is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir.
The grapes for this wine arecoming from 3 different parcels of Savigny les Beaune loctaed in these 3 different lieux-dits: Les Saucours, les Petits Liards and Les Fourches.
The wine shows aromas of Red fruits with floral notes. It is elegant with a very pleasant long finish.