2017 Hermitage Blanc Marquise de la Tourette

A blend of 90% Marsanne and 10% Roussanne, the 2017 Hermitage Domaine Des Tourettes Blanc offers attractive notes of salted apple, citrus blossom, buttered lemon, and exotic spices. It's medium to full-bodied, has good acidity, a pure, elegant style, and beautiful purity and clarity. Drink it any time over the coming decade or so. Owned by the Louis Roederer/Deutz Champagne firm, Delas Frères is another largely negotiate estate that is fashioning brilliant wines from throughout the Rhône Valley. The incredible quality has been led by Burgundian Jacques Grange, who joined Delas Frères in 1997, and he’s assisted by the talented Claire Darnaud. The 2015s, reviewed last year, are some of the finest wines ever from this estate (same league as the 2009s and 2010s). They’ve done a fine job in 2016, with the wines showing more elegant characters, missing the density or structure of a top year, yet offering balanced, very drinkable profiles. The 2017s should surpass the 2016s, but also have upfront charming characters. It’s worth noting that this estate has seen a progression in style since 2005, where the wines were more extracted and oaky, to the 2016s and 2017s today, which could be seen as more mid-weight and elegant.

A blend of 90% Marsanne and 10% Roussanne, the 2017 Hermitage Domaine des Tourettes Blanc features scents of toasted almond, honey and pineapple. Full-bodied, rich and creamy, it's rounded out on the palate by melon-like fruit, then adds citrus zest, crushed stone and brine on the long finish. Drink it now or after about 10 years.