Dauvergne Ranvier Cotes du Rhone Vin Gourmand Blanc 2013
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A blend characterized by its 80% Viognier, along with some Grenche Blanc….It’s vibrant, intense, characterful and complex with a bountiful supply of ripe apricots and exotic fruits, and a long finish.
When one asks how it all began, François Dauvergne most often responds that “his roots are half in Bordeaux where he grew up and half in the soils of Saint-Polycarpe, next to Limoux, where his family had vines”. He then branched out to the Rhône Valley where he has been for the past 15 years of his career in wine.
As a child, Jean-François Ranvier made his parents blush more than once. In fact, when invited to family friends homes for dinner, little Jean-François couldn’t stop himself from breathing in the aromas in the house and detailing them out load…no matter the quality of the menu. Amateur geologist, he finally chose enology after having earned an agronomist degree. After having directed an enology lab he then took over vinification for a major negociant house in the Rhône Valley. It was here that he would meet and work with François Dauvergne.
In 2004 Dauvergne and Ranvier would leave together to live their dream of creating their own wines, thus making their winery one of the most recognized in the Rhône Valley.
Full-bodied and flavorful, white Rhône blends originate from France’s Rhône Valley. Today these blends are also becoming popular in other regions. Typically some combination of Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Roussanne and Viognier form the basis of a white Rhône blend with varying degrees of flexibility depending on the exact appellation. Somm Secret—In the Northern Rhône, blends of Marsanne and Roussanne are common but the south retains more variety. Marsanne, Roussanne as well as Bourboulenc, Clairette, Picpoul and Ugni Blanc are typical.
Typically thought of as a baby Chateâuneuf-du-Pape, the term Côtes du Rhône actually doesn’t merely apply to the flatter outskirts of the major southern Rhône appellations, it also includes the fringes of well-respected northern Rhône appellations. White wines can be produced under the appellation name, but very little is actually made.
The region offers some of the best values in France and even some first-rate and age-worthy reds. Red wine varieties include most of the Chateâuneuf-du-Pape varieties like Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Cinsault, and Counoise, as well as Carignan. White grapes grown include Grenache blanc, Roussanne and Viognier, among others.