Domaine Clusel-Roch 'Sur Le Mont' Blanc Vin de France 2019

The Clusel-Roch family was among the first producers in the Côte-Rôtie area to adopt organic farming practices, when Gilbert Clusel’s grandfather planted the core vineyard of the winery in 1935. They became pioneers of the organic farming movement and converted officially to organic in 2002. The estate is well known for their cuvées of serine, the low-yielding syrah clone that they carefully cultivate on the steep slopes of Vérenay, at the northernmost end of the Northern Rhône region. In recent years, Guillaume Clusel, son of Gilbert and Brigitte Roch, has been gradually taking over management of the estate from his parents and expanding their offerings to other grapes and appellations. This full-bodied white comes from Clusel-Roch’s home territory of Ampuis and Saint-Cyr: roussanne, viognier, altesse, and clairette grown on southeast-facing slopes are harvested by hand and sorted in the vineyard. Fermented in stainless steel and aged for a year in a combination of barrique and tank, the blend is only lightly filtered before bottling. Combining fresh aromatics of flowers and citrus with the richness of vanilla, this is a well-structured wine with a savory palate and umami finish that calls out for seafood or a ripe bûcheron goat cheese. Organically grown, low-intervention/natural wine, vegan.