Delicieux

 

Domaine La Martinelle, Vaucluse

Blend of 65% Clairette Blanche and Rose, 25% Grenache Blanc and Gris supplemented with a little Picardan and Rolle, from 15-year-old vines grown organically, and planted on clay-limestone soils, on South-East facing terraces, mid-slope. Manual harvest on the 2nd and 6th of September. Direct pressing, indigenous yeasts, aging half in stainless steel vats and half in barrels that have seen several wines. Blending in March, and bottled at the Estate mid-April 2023 after very light filtration, low sulphur.

We drank this at the Cafe de la Gare in Bonnieux. Fantastic aromatic wine. Really outstanding.

Domaine La Martinelle seems to be a bit of a secret, a dark horse with only two retailers mentioned in Winesearcher, both French. And those for their Cotes du Rhone Village.

That Cotes du Rhone or rather Cotes du Ventoux hasn't escaped Jancis Robinson however:

Mid ruby. Warm and rich and thoroughly welcoming – really quite a lot of complexity for the money. The sort of wine that makes you wonder whether other French wines, especially the more expensive ones, shouldn’t just pack up now... Very sweet finish but no excess heat or tannins. Enough juice, yet there is enough structure too. Spicy finish. 17.