Clos des Centenaires Roussanne White (Organic) 2020 - Southern Rhone, France

92/100 Guide Revue des Vins De France
93/100 Jeb Dunnuck (2019 vintage)
91/100 Guide Revue des Vins De France (2019 vintage)
Bronze - Wine Enthusiast (2019 vintage)
15.5/20 La Reveu du Vin de France (2019 vintage)
93/100 Jeb Dunnuck (2017 vintage)
93/100 Jeb Dunnuck (2016 vintage)

Organic

Wine Enthusiast "Judicious notes of clove, vanilla and toast accent plush white grapefruit and yellow apple in this varietal Roussanne augmented by 10% Marsanne. It's a lavishly oaky, opulent wine that should drink well through 2025. " (2018 vintage)

Wine Enthusiast ".....It is a lavishly oaky, opulent wine...Judicious notes of clove, vanilla, and toast accent plush white grapefruit and yellow apple." (2016 vintage)

The Winemaker “Nose of lime blossom and citrus fruits, with a light toasty taste. On the palate, the fullness contrasts with a beautiful liveliness and minerality. 2 years to wait."

Roussanne 90%, Marsanne 10%

Clos des Centenaires was founded Luc Baudet of Chateau Mas-Neuf fame, and Californian wine industry veteran, Jack Edwards who both share a passion for artisan wines and the terroir of France’s Southern Rhone.

Clos des Centenaires is a historic vineyard situated in Costieres de Nimes, close to the Mediterranean Sea. The vineyard boasts 70-year-old Grenache vines which are deeply rooted in the pebble stones overlooking the picturesque lakes of Petite Camargue. The vineyard also features Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Verdot, and Cinsault, and is known for producing unique, high-end, elegant wines of excellent value.

The vineyard soils are cultivated amongst natural grassland using shallow tillage methods and special attention is paid to the revitalization of vines (using annually prepared biodynamic compost). Inputs are limited to organically approved natural products.

Costieres de Nimes is the most southerly appellation of the Rhone wine region in southeastern France. The wines of the area are reputed to have been consumed by the Ancient Greeks and thus figure among the oldest known wines in the world. The Costieres de Nimes AOC covers an area between the towns of Nimes and Arles.

The Rhone Valley is one of France's key wine regions, and is divided neatly by a gap of about 25 miles (40km). Wines from the northern part of the valley tend to be Syrah-dominant (Hermitage and Cote Rotie being the most notable examples), while wines from the southern Rhone are more commonly blends, with Grenache playing a more dominant role. Chateauneuf-du-Pape is the most famous example of a southern Rhone blend, but similar blends are found in wines from Gigondas, Vacqueyras and the regional Cotes du Rhone title.

Roussanne is a white-wine grape named after its skin color (when ripe), a reddish-gold pigment that equates to the French word roux (meaning "russet", or reddish-brown). The variety is thought to have originated in the northern Rhone Valley, where the majority of modern-day plantings are found.