Grenache Gris, Grenache Blanc
75cl * 14% ABV * AOC Collioure, Roussillon, South of France
Collioure, a picture-postcard seaside town on the Vermilion coast near the Spanish border, is an Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) in the Roussillon wine region of France. This incredible wine region, France’s most southerly, was established in the 6th century BC by the Phoenicians. Down the centuries, vineyards gradually spread across the dizzyingly steep terraces overlooking the sea.
If you had to single out one iconic grape variety for Collioure, it would be Grenache. On these schist soils between the sea and the mountains, Grenache shows site-distinctive expressiveness, acting as a catalyst for power and finesse, ripeness and salinity; one of the markers of the area’s identity.
Michel Chapoutier has never understood the focus of the majority of Côtes du Rhône producers on Grenache Noir when in his mind the whites are far better suited to gastronomy. This blend of 90% Grenache Gris and 10% Grenache Blanc demonstrates this perfectly particularly as Michel feels that “2021 was a perfect vintage for white wine.”
~ Taurus Tasting Notes ~
“A very fresh and delicate nose with aromas of elderberries, almond, toast, ripe peach and a hint of boxwood. This leads to a palate showing more elderberries and white stone fruit with Chapoutier’s signature saline finish that comes from it being grown on granite. Will develop more honey and dried herb flavours with age.”
Peak drinking 2024 - 2028