2020 Ovitelli Blanc

Full bottle 1,613 g. Certified organic (ACO, Ecocert) and biodynamic (ACO). 50% Grenache Blanc, 25% Roussanne, 12% Clairette, 9% Piquepoul, 4% Bourboulenc. Fermented and aged with skin contact (59%) in ceramic eggs. Some of the Grenache Blanc and Roussanne spends between 90 and 126 days on skins. No sulphites added until fermentations have completed. pH 3.3, TA 6 g/l. Bottled November 2020. Winemaker Peter Fraser. Egregiously heavy bottle. Complex blend and winemaking! Despite four years in bottle, it smells as youthful and fruity as a one-year-old wine. It smells like a bowl of fresh quinces, like daffodils, like wet chalk and bergamot and yuzu cordial. So fresh! And so fresh on the palate as well, although here that hint of wet chalk becomes structural and mineral, taking shape and deepening the curved carve of acidity, drawing the white-yellow notes of the fruit into length, allowing tiny white and yellow flowers to dance on the edges, just out of sight. There is absolutely no hurry to drink this wine that tastes as if it hasn't even begun to get going. (TC)

Grenache Blanc, Roussanne, Clairette, Piquepoul, Bourboulenc. Lively nose with charming fruit. It has a creamy palate with a lemon-curd underlayer. Lots going on, long finish. Elegant and refined, it keeps developing on the palate. (FG)

The 2020 Ovitelli Blanc (a white Rhône blend made from Grenache Blanc, Roussanne, Clairette, Picquepoul and Bourbelenc) presents a complex, although reserved, experience. It opens with an engaging array of waxy, pithy and nutty aromas with a subtle chamomile lift. Dry and quite textural, tangy acidity drives upfront impact before slowly taking a more savory turn to a textural finish. This is a good effort and a wine to watch.