THEWINEMONOLOGUES.COM: 2008 Chateau des Karantes Blanc- New Varietals in 2010

2008 Chateau des Karantes Blanc- New Varietals in 2010

In my search for new varietals in 2010, I came across this beauty that is a blend of not one, but 4 new varietals for my palate. Now I'm not going to review each one individually (not yet at least), but I can tell you a little about each and also let you know that the four together are pretty darn good. The 2008 Chateau des Karantes Blanc is a blend of 54% Bourboulenc, 14% Vermentino, 16% Roussane, and 16% Grenache Blanc.

Bourboulenc is an ancient variety from Greece which is grown in thesouth of France, where it is allowed in many AOC. It is often a smallcomponent of most wines, with exception of wines in the wines of LaClape, Languedoc. Vermentino is a white grape variety of Sardinia, Liguria, Corsica and the Languedoc-Roussillon. Roussanne is a white Rhône grape which, with Marsanne, is often blendedinto Hermitage, Crozes-Hermitage and St-Joseph. Thevariety is also grown in Italy, Australia and California where it isused in both blending and for varietal wines. It is also known asBergeron (Savoie appellation of Chignin), Fromenteau (Rhône) and Rosana(Spain). It is still occasionally incorporated into white wine blendssuch as with Marsanne.Grenache Blanc is the white-berried form of Grenache Noir and isimportant in France, particularly Roussillon. It is also used in thewines of eastern Spain and California. www.wine-searcher.com/grape

Chateau des Karantes is a vineyard situated in La Clape Appellation within the Languedoc-Roussillon region in France. The domaine is in the heart of a small valley located two minutes away from the Mediterranean between the seaside resort towns of Narbonne Plage and St. Pierre sur Mer. The estate offers beautiful views of the Mediterranean Sea with the Pyrenees Mountains visible in the distance. The vineyard is named after a former Bishop of Carcassonne, owner of the estate hundreds of years ago. www.karantes.com/english.

The Vineyard is planted with the traditional varietals of the La Clape Appellation, (17.8% Carignan, 29.3% Granache, 32.2% Syrah, and 16.6% Mouvedre) and a small one hectare parcel (about 2.5 acres) of a white varietal called Terret and Bourboulenc 4.1%.

The 2008 Chateau des Karantes Blanc has a light golden color. On the nose, it had strong scents of peach, lime, grapefruitand minerals. The palate follows the nose. . . lots of peach followedmid-palate with citrus flavors and on the back-end, minerals and flintthat last a long time. This was a delightful wine that I had with turkey. It came in at about $20 per bottle, so not a bad price either! Go out and find this one or any of the other wines made by Chateau des Karantes and expand your palate!