Saint Damien Côtes-du-Rhône Le Blanc 2023

From 50 % Clairette blanche blended with 50 % Bourboulenc for freshness and acidity with great perfume, showing a hint of saline freshness at the end. From a new vineyard purchased in 2022 in Buisson, north-west from Vaison La Romaine (not far from Vinsobres). Whole bunch pressed and aged in large old concrete tanks to retain freshness.

'Joel Saurel’s Côtes-du-Rhône “le Blanc” bottling is made from a cépages of roussanne, marsanne and viognier. The 2023 version is a lovely wine, offering up a bright and complex bouquet of peach, breadfruit, white soil tones, a hint of coriander seed and a lovely panoply of spring flowers in the upper register. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied and complex, with a good base of soil, a lovely core of fruit, fine acids and a long, well balanced and vibrant finish. This is really very good Côtes-du-Rhône Blanc! Drink 2024-2030.’ 89 points, John Gilman, View from the Cellar, November 2024.