2024 Domaine du Grand Tinel "Roussanne de Charles" Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc

Full yellow colour; the bouquet extols the tropics, a salad of mango and lychees, is very Roussanne in ripeness in manner, holds soundly, shows grilling. the palate links well, glides on its old vine sève [sap], has a silken feel that pleases, the flavour with cooked orange, herbes, gorse flowers of the garrigue en route, late considerate oaking adding a layer of depth. The finish is curved, calm, bonny, a note of tobacco-like grip on the aftertaste. *4.5 Stars*

One of my most profound white wine drinking experiences was the 2000 Beaucastel Roussanne Vieilles Vignes. It was a WOW experience, the kind of reaction Burgundy collectors describe when they land that special bottle that turns them into an addict — except my addiction runs through the Rhône. Yes, I am a junkie for the Roussanne VV. For several years I could flirt with the wine, grabbing a bottle here and there, but too many dollars chasing too little wine has made it a rare, special treat these days. Granted, a white Burgundy with this much character would likely run you twice Beaucastel's price — so regular Beaucastel Blanc has become my more frequent pour, and I still love it. Then Rhône critic Jeb Dunnuck gave the Grand Tinel a Beaucastel VV-level review, and color me intrigued. He put it in the same class, so I had to go on the hunt. Luckily, I found a bottle — and I was astounded. The Roussanne de Charles genuinely name-checks the VV Blanc. Caramelized peaches, rich pineapple flavors, exotic and powerful, all framed by a buoyant mineral backbone. This is as close as you're going to get without tripling the price. Even better: I secured a small allocation through a friendly importer at $79.99 — well under even Beaucastel's regular Châteauneuf Blanc, let alone the VV's $225. This is a showstopper of a wine that any serious wine drinker should seek out. A chance to relive some of my best drinking memories at a fraction of the price — for the category, this is as good as value gets.