Domaine La Croix Gratiot Picpoul de Pinet 2011, Languedoc, France (£8.99 Whole Foods Market, Vagabond Wines, Askewine, Taylor’s Fine Wine, Red & White, Scarlet Wines, Shaftesbury Wines, Bray Valley Wine, The Butlers Wine Cellar, Corks of Cotham, Peter Osborne Fine Wines, Connolly’s Wine, Kenilworth Wines, Nickolls & Perks, Worth Brothers Wines, Reserve Wines, The Wright Wine Company, Gwinology, Valvona & Crolla, Berits & Brown, Cornelius Beer & Wine, Henderson Wines, Winedirect.co.uk)
I like the light limey fruit, herby aromas and stony minerality, but it’s lost some of the freshness of youth, and would have been better last year (tasted the 2012 on 10/4/13 – much better). B(+)
Domaine La Croix Gratiot Roussanne Pays d’Hérault 2011, Languedoc, France (£9.99 Cooden Cellars, The Naked Grape, Riverford Farm Foods, Shaftesbury Wines, Grape & Grind, Noel Young Wines, Kenilworth Wines, Vinology, Worth Brothers Wines, York Beer & Wine Shop, Reserve Wines, Vinea, Carruthers & Kent, HarperWells.com)
Combines weighty peach, apricot and pearskin flesh with lively citrus freshness, a touch of walnut, clay-like mineral stoniness and a briny tang – nice wine. S-
Domaine de la Mordorée Lirac Cuvée de la Reine des Bois Blanc 2010, Rhône, France (£20.50 Lea & Sandeman)
Exotic, musky style, with plush apricot and peach flesh and some earthy, spicy complexity. Weighty but never OTT. S(+)
Chante Cigale Châteauneuf du Pape Blanc 2011 (£20.49 Connolly’s Wine Merchants, D Byrne & Co, Highbury Vintners, The Halifax Wine Company, The Vineyard)
Quite different from the Lirac but no less enjoyable, this is more perky and tense, with gentler pear and peach flavours reined in by spicy/herby minerality and citrus freshness – a rich but, dainty style. S(+)
Thanks for the review Simon.
You’re welcome – was a fascinating contrast to the Ch9