My first time trying the white from this top producer of Rhone varietals based in Ventura. This is a blend of 41% Roussanne, 36% Chardonnay, 15% Viognier, and 8% Marsanne. Deep golden in color, clear and bright. The nose has lots of smoke/char along with wax, oranges, peaches and minerals. Full bodied. Slight tannins. On the palate, the smoke notes are a bit more like gun powder. Plenty of peach and slight citrus with a bit of "bitter wax" on the finish. This is young and in need of time. Consumed over two days, it really didn't change much at all. Perhaps on day 2, a bit less Chardonnay seemed present. Rhone whites can be tricky but hold for five years and then drink over fifteen. It worked well with a cranberry walnut salad but could certainly hold up to bigger foods such as Salmon. 13.4% abv. This has a lot of potential for improvement over the next five or so years.
