This wine was included in a LONG thread I posted for a recent fabulous dinner featuring 6 Guigal La Las. This was so good and may have gotten lost in the massive array of incredible wines we had on this evening, so I’m pulling it out for a separate and deserved thread of its own:
2013 ROTAM & MOUNIR SAOUMA [AKA LUCIEN le MOINE] MAGIS CHATEAUNEUF de PAPE BLANC- 75% Grenache Blanc, 10% Clairette, 10% Roussane and 5% Bourboulenc; lots of petrol in the nose then minerals take over before the palate is dosed with sublime spicy orange, lime and lemon peel notes; it had a fabulous mouthfeel, was rich and full bodied and exuded class with eye opening, unexpected power and finesse.
Really terrific people! I have visited Mounir in his cellar twice and sat on a panel with him in New Orleans when the lucien label was just getting started. Theirs is an interesting story and its a cellar where you can taste more Grand Cru in one spot than any other cellar in Burgundy I believe.
I have not seen this wine before today but I am curious to seek it out. Blake did you get this locally?
I just found it today through a friend who is a rep for Atherton Wine Imports. They have the 14 and 15 at least. Ours was the 13` as I misread the label.
The 13` was brought by the one who brought the La Las. What a guy.
Love to hear this - and may not to get a bottle or three. I’ll be curious as to whether their blend changes over time or stays consistent.
And ‘great’ to hear that the wine was showing ‘petrol’ - every one of my GB’s, starting in 2006, has shown various amounts of petrol as thy age and/or open up. My guess is that the skins contain TDN, the same chemical that leads this to happening in rieslings as they age. No research on this and I doubt there will be . . .
Larry, as to the blend changing, the 2011 had the same 75% Grenache Blanc, 10% Clairette, 10% Roussanne and 5% Bourboulenc and the 2014 had Grenache Blanc 70%, Roussanne 10%, Bourboulenc 10%, Clairette 10%.
