White wines from France's Rhone region aren't particularly well known and, at least in this country, don't get all that much respect. You don't see many of them on store shelves or restaurant wine lists, and you don't see many of them reviewed, for that matter.
Which is a shame, given that white Rhones are usually different and interesting, and that's something the Wine Curmudgeon is always looking for. The Belleruche ($12, purchased), from one of the Rhone's largest producers, has always been one of my favorite wines for just that reason (when I can find it, of course).
This is a previous vintage, and the extra year of bottle age has given the wine, a blend of grenache blanc, clairette and bourboulenc, a little more character. There is lots of white pepper, some oiliness and just a hint of a green fruit, like lime or apple. This is a not a white wine for people who need something fruit forward, like sauvignon blanc or chardonnay, but it's not supposed to be.
And don't worry that you haven't heard of the grapes used to make it -- almost no one who isn't in the wine business has heard of them, either. Which is another reason why the wine is so interesting, and that's three more grapes for your Wine Century Club effort. Chill this and drink it on its own or with something like goat cheese; roast pork with apples would be terrific, too.
Aren't these part of the grapes that would make up a ChateauNeuf de pape? I think this is an unusual wine, as you rarely see this blend as a white Cote d Rhones?
Posted by: William | February 02, 2012 at 09:17 AM
Indeed they are. The link about the grapes leads to a page that talks about just that, William.
Posted by: Jeff Siegel | February 03, 2012 at 05:57 AM