Chateau Ollieux Romanis Cuvee Prestige Corbieres Blanc 2021

Region: Corbières, France

Grape Varieties: 60% Roussane, 25% Grenache Blanc & 15% Marsanne

We sell a fair amount of wine from the sprawling Corbières appellation, located in the Languedoc region of France. The producers use mostly the same varieties as the Rhône, but thanks to higher elevations the wines often show better freshness. One we love is this amazing estate Ollieux Romanis, that crafts some of the best in the region. However, their wines are also quite expensive so when the distributor offered us a deal to clean this stunner out of the warehouse we jumped. My prior tasting notes described this as “Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc at half the price”. That was at the $39 price, not the now discounted $19.

At the heart of this wine is a blend of 60% Roussane, 25% Grenache Blanc and 15% Marsanne, grown in a Cru site within the appellation. Farming is organic, fermentation is native and once dry the wine is blended then aged in large oak casks for a year before bottling without filtration. The result is a wine that smells like a fruit salad of fresh peaches and pears, kissed with honey and jasmine.  This is not a “crisp summer white” but rather a rich and layered wine with incredible intensity and length. Serve this with duck confit, grilled pork sausages and lentils or a creamy chicken casserole. Only 60 bottles available at this price.