Domaine Roger Perrin Cotes du Rhone Prestige Blanc 2018

Drink now through to 2022. Serve chilled.

The Cotes du Rhone appellation might be better known for its red wines, but the region also produces some remarkable full-bodied whites like this example from Domaine Perrin. The Prestige Blanc is crafted from the typical local varieties Viognier, Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Roussanne, and Clairette Blanche which grow on limestone and gravel soils.

To preserve the quality of the fruit the grapes are hand-harvested each year and the must is vinified in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks. The young wine is then aged on the lees for up to 9 months before bottling which helps to add softness on the palate and creamy, brioche hints to the flavour profile. This is fairly rich style of Cotes du Rhone Blanc which opens with citrus, tropical fruit, and stone fruit aromas and offers generous fruit flavours which linger long on the tongue and a well-rounded medium body.

The wine is lovingly crafted by enologist Veronique Perrin-Rolin and her son Xavier who have run the estate since the unexpected death of Veronique’s husband and Xavier’s father, Luc Perrin, in 1986. Luc’s father, Roger Perrin, founded the domaine in 1972 when he began bottling and selling his own wines after taking over the property from his winemaker father-in-law, Paul Bravay.