Famille Brechet "Plateau des Chenes" Lirac Blanc 2015
(Rhone, France)

About the Wine:

Laurent Bréchet is known mostly for the delicious wines he and his winegrowing team make at Chateau de Vaudieu in Chateauneuf-du-Pape.
BUT! Located directly across the Rhone River in Lirac, the southernmost part of the Rhone region & just north of Tavel, is Plateau des Chenes, Famille Brechet’s estate.
Situated along the western bank of the Rhone are 40 acres of rich, diverse soil types where the vineyards are sprinkled with galets just like those in Chateauneuf!
These large, flat, smooth rocks are quite unique to this area of the Rhone Valley. The locals of the region believe they help the vines grow and assist in the proper development of said grapes due to their high capacity for heat retention as they absorb sunlight during the day and slowly let it out into the soil when the sun goes down.
Although only 10% of the total wine production, Lirac produces some deep, rich white wines that are extremely hard to beat in terms of price-to-quality ratio!!          
That same winemaking team made this darling “little” white using the same grapes as in Chateauneuf-du-Pape!                                                                                                        

Tasting Notes:                                                                                                               
Inviting floral aromas invoke fresh fennel, yet also show a firm mineral core.
Aged for 3-to-4 months in used 600L barrels, meaning NO NEW OAK is used here!  This is common when making white CdP’s, as these varietals prefer being grown in wood.  Approaching FULL BODIED, the texture here I describe in my tasting notes as “fluffy” which is to say, soft and round.
After some time in the glass, subtle Navel orange & vanilla bean nuances emerge. Layers of slate-y minerality are abundant on the long, lingering finish. (tasted: July 2022)

Plateau de Chênes is the eponymous name of a former bed of the Rhone River, which is composed of colluvions from the quaternary era, red clays, quartzites round pebbles, as well as sands of the Pliocene era.

~david ulias – fine wine specialist – artisan w & s~