Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc 2023, Domaine de la Janasse

A glorious, truly legendary white wine, made in tiny quantities each year. Ripe, expressive nose of dried tropical fruits and citrus. The palate is medium bodied, silky and full of apricot and pineapple fruit with a crisp, dry finish. This comes from a total vineyard area of just 1.1 hectares, planted with 70 year-old Grenache and Clairette vines, along with 20% Roussanne to add aromatic complexity. Yields are very low, at 30 hl/ha or less. The tiny vineyard and ancient, low-yielding vines explains why there’s so little to go around, but it’s well worth seeking out.