2022 Lindquist Family Clairette CASE SPECIAL

– In the late 1990’s I made wine for 3 vintages at a winery in Provence called Chateau Routas. I was hired there because Routas’ largest planttings of their approximately 45 hectare of vines (about 119 acres) was planted to Syrah, and the owner wanted to target the American market.

Among the many varietals that Routas had planted were some old vine Clairette, and I was always intrigued by the qualities of this grape, that also hails from the Southern Rhone. Clairette has 3 variations, much in the same way that Grenache does: Blanche or white; Gris or gray/pink; and Rouge or red. In 2022, the Nolan Vineyard, a new, beautiful,100+ acre vineyard in the Alisos Canyon AVA offered us some Clairette Blanche and I jumped at the opportunity.

This fresh, crisp, aromatic white is a classic “porch pounder”…I added a touch of Viognier to it for a hint of peaches and flowers on the nose. At 11.6% alcohol, and bottled under screw cap for easy access, this wine is great with light appetizers, mild cheeses or grilled fish tacos.