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Winner Details

FRANCE: White Rhône

2017 Gold: 2 Silver: 3 Bronze: 1 Commended: 4
2016 Gold: 1 Silver: 3 Bronze: 0 Commended: 2

For what is undoubtedly a highly niched category, the White Rhônes keep delivering (almost) year after year. Indeed, this was the second Gold in three years for the well-made and well-priced Colombo & Fille, a wine that clearly should be on the radar of everyone from gastropub owner to white tablecloth restaurant.

The difference between this year’s plethora of medals and last year’s wan display? The 2015 vintage, which accounted for all bar one of our medal winners.

FROM THE TASTING TEAMS

‘With a Rhône white I’m hoping for interesting character on the nose, acidity and complexity on the palate – though acidity isn’t always easy to come by in the Rhône.’ Charles Pashby-Taylor, Dabbous

‘Some of these could be a good value alternative to Condrieu. The best of these had balance,’ Lionel Periner, team leader

 

‘The best of these had considerable complexity.’ Gaetano Giangaspero, Coya Mayfair

Award winners

Found 10 wines

White Rhône

Colombo & Fille, Côtes du Rhône Blanc 2015, Rhône, France

Gold medal winner

Taking Gold amid high praise from judges, this Côtes du Rhône Blanc was described by Gaetano Giangaspero of Coya Mayfair as having ‘a velvety nose and elegant palate, creamy texture with fresh, balanced acidity and good persistence’, while team leader Lionel Periner pointed out ‘candied lemon aromas, well-balanced palate with nice, elegant fruit style’. An ideal partner for poultry with a creamy sauce, thought Sexy Fish’s Julien Sahut.

£7.23 Hatch Mansfield

Domaine du Monteillet, Le Petit Viognier, Pays des Collines Rhodaniennes 2015, Rhône, France

Gold medal winner Critics Choice

An impressive balancing act between richness and freshness earned this Gold. ‘A rich, honeyed style with oak ageing that enhances the vanilla character on the palate, but it’s long and has good acidic balance, too,’ said Gaetano Giangaspero of Coya Mayfair. ‘Ripe and creamy, with tinned peaches and apricots. Well rounded, with an oily texture,’ added team leader Annette Scarfe MW, while Sexy Fish’s Julien Sahut appreciated ‘ripe apple, stone fruit and some mineral notes, with a long finish’.

£14.25 Boutinot

Jean-Luc Colombo, La Redonne, Côtes du Rhône Blanc 2016, Rhône, France

Silver medal winner

Charles Ashby-Taylor of Dabbous enjoyed its ‘leesy, floral nose, nice tuffe volcanic minerality, gentle toast and balanced acidity’, while team leader Lionel Periner found ‘apricot, citrus and floral notes, a dry palate with an aromatic finish’.

£13.49 Hatch Mansfield, Matthew Clark

Jean-Luc Colombo, Amour de Dieu, Condrieu 2015, Rhône, France

Silver medal winner

‘A well-crafted wine with restrained white flower aromas as well as some peach skin, leading to a spicy mid-palate and a long, complex finish,’ described team leader Annette Scarfe MW, while J Corey Evans of St Swithins Wine Shippers found it to be ‘perfumed but elegant, and a little waxy, too’.

£28.43 Hatch Mansfield

Château l'Ermitage, Cuvée Ste-Cécile, Costière de Nîmes Blanc 2015, Rhône, France

Silver medal winner

‘The nose ranges from sweet florals to ripe tropical fruit, to spices too,’ began an impressed Gaetano Giangaspero of Coya Mayfair, going on: ‘The palate’s gentle but very expressive too, with a very long finish.’ ‘Full aromas of citrus, stone fruit, apricot, oak vanilla and almond nut hints,’ agreed team leader Lionel Periner.

£9.94 Boutinot

Boutinot, La Fleur Solitaire, Côtes du Rhône Blanc 2015, Rhône, France

Bronze medal winner

‘Elegant and floral nose, fleshy fruit with peach and banana notes on the palate,’ began Charles Ashby-Taylor of Dabbous, with Gaetano Giangaspero of Coya Mayfair noting ‘ripe fruit and sweet spice notes, a rounded palate with good structure and persistence’.

£6.66 Boutinot

Domaine Champ-Long, Les Gressannes, Ventoux Blanc 2015, Rhône, France

Commended medal winner

Chateau La Verrerie, Blanc 2015, Luberon, France

Commended medal winner

£12.29 Liberty Wines

Domaine du Colombier, Crozes-Hermitage Blanc 2015, Rhône , France

Commended medal winner

£15.78 Bibendum

Ogier, Clos de l'Oratoire des Papes, Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc 2015, Rhône, France

Commended medal winner

£25.55 Matthew Clark