Les Centenaires Costières Blanc La Bergerie de Nimes 2019 - Southern Rhône, France

Jeb Dunnuck 91/100 (2017 vintage)

Jeb Dunnuck “The 2017 Costieres De Nimes Blanc has a great bouquet of ripe orchard fruits, white flowers, fresh pineapple, appleblossom and hints of almonds. Its deep, rich, medium to full bodied, and beautifully textured on the palate, and has real class … seriously impressive southern Rhone white” (2017 vintage)

The Winemaker “A floral nose with pear notes. On the palate, a very nice balance between minerality and roundness with a fresh finish.” (2018 Vintage)

Clos des Centenaires was founded of 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.

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.

Marsanne 40%, Roussanne 30%, Vermetina 20%, Viogner 10%

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.