Blend: 40% Grenache Blanc, 40% Viognier, 10% Marsanne, 10% Roussanne

From: Grignan-Les-Adhemar, Rhone, France

Taste: Subtle aromas of pear and lemon along with a hint of chamomile gracefully envelopes a core of peach, apricot, citrus and a hint of dried honey. Medium-bodied on the palate & its long, lifted finish provides a perfectly refreshing balance.

Pairing: To be enjoyed by itself as an aperitif or on green asparagus, cheese soufflés, scallops, and fish. May also be served with Picodon, Saint-Marcellin and Reblochon cheeses, or even foie gras and almond galettes.

The area. Nestled in the heart of the Rhone valley on the left bank, are the 1800 hectares of vineyards of Grignan-les-Adhémar in the Drôme Provençale (the northern part of the Southern Rhone). Flourishing in a land of plenty, the vineyards alternate with aromatic herbs, lavender fields, truffle oaks and olive groves.

Its wines are refined and delicious, mainly reds (75% of total wine production), with a range of flavors from berry and plum through to spices and on to the more sophisticated notes of pepper, violet and truffle, signs of wines which will age well. Its fresh, fruity and elegant white wines (only 11% of total production here) and rosés (14% of production) play on delightful seduction.

Here, the sub-soils nourish. Limestone delivers elegance while clay imparts richness. The Mediterranean climate bestows mild, temperate, windy weather in the winter; hot, dry, bright summer days and cool nights. The combination of the two promotes gradual, regular sugar concentration in the fruit, whilst the Mistral wind drives away both the clouds and diseases. The clusters of grapes therefore ripen consistently, a prerequisite for balanced wines.

For all that, only 24% of wine production from Grignan-Les-Adhemar is exported from France, thus, if this is your first introduction to the area… you’re probably not alone!