Principauté d'Orange, Les Deux Albion, Domaine de Saint Cosme 2024
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Why this wine
Louis Barruol planted this site at Saint Martin on the most active limestone in the region, ground that had been given up as unplantable until estate compost brought it back. The blend runs to seven varieties, part barrel-fermented, and comes out taut and mineral rather than broad. Southern Rhône white at a price that makes it an everyday proposition.
At a glance
- Grape
- Picpoul Blanc 30%, Viognier 30%, Marsanne 20%, Clairette 6%, Ugni Blanc 6%, Bourboulenc 5%, Saint Côme 3%
- Region
- Rhône Valley, France
- Alcohol
- 13.50%
- Body
- Medium
- Acidity
- High
- Sweetness
- Dry
- Drink
- Medium (5-10 yrs)
- Pairs with
- Seafood, Salads, Poultry & Pork
How it tastes
Dried apricot and lime with floral blossom and a note of mango, held in a crystalline, refreshing frame. Medium in weight, bright in acidity, and elegant through a long, chalky finish. Picpoul Blanc 30%, Viognier 30%, Marsanne 20%, Clairette 6%, Ugni Blanc 6%, Bourboulenc 5%, Saint Côme 3%.
The producer
Château de Saint Cosme sits in the southern Rhône appellation of Gigondas and has been in the Barruol family for more than 500 years; Louis Barruol took over as the fourteenth generation in 1992 and has since built a négoce alongside the estate, overseeing vineyard management, harvest and vinification himself. The fruit here comes from vines planted in 2014 on the limestone terroir of Saint Martin, in part from massale selections taken in Condrieu and Hermitage; the site had been abandoned because its active limestone levels — the highest in the region, above even Gigondas — made vines very hard to grow, until estate-made compost restored the balance of the soils and brought them back into use. The vineyards are certified organic. Fermentation ran with wild indigenous yeasts, 30% in demi-muids, 30% in small barrels and 40% in vats, and the wine was matured in the same combination, each vessel adding its own layer of complexity.
Food and drinking
Serve at 8 to 10°C. It suits grilled sea bass, a goat's cheese salad, chicken with lemon and herbs, and shellfish. Drinking well now and through the next five years. Suitable for vegetarians and vegans.