J.L. Chave Selection Crozes-Hermitage Blanc Sybele 2018

“Diaphanous straw-yellow. Mineral-driven aromas of pear nectar, tangerine and yellow plum, plus a subtle touch of jasmine. Juicy and tightly focused in the mouth, offering intense citrus and orchard fruit flavors that are underscored by suggestions of ginger and bitter quinine. The impressively long, penetrating finish shows lingering minerality and fine delineation. 60% Marsanne, 40% Roussanne. Drinking window: 2021-2027. 93 points

By now it’s no secret that Erin Cannon-Chave and Jean-Louis Chave’s semi-négociant operation is producing a range of consistently excellent wines that clearly show the Chave magic at user-friendly prices. While the Hermitage Blanc Blanche will inevitably be compared to the white Hermitage from the J.L. Chave domaine, the wines that intrigue me are that Crozes-Hermitage Blanc and Saint-Joseph Blanc since neither of those appellations are present under the family’s estate label. There may be a domaine Saint-Joseph Blanc, someday, “that’s probably a job that’ll wait for our children to take on,” Chave told me.”

Josh Raynolds, Vinous (05/20)