Blancaneaux
2020
$114.47*
3 case(s) available
Founded by a successful Finnish sea Captain, Gustave Niebaum, in the 1880’s, Inglenook Estate in Rutherford California was once the most highly regarded of the earliest, great Napa Valley estate wineries. Over the years the estate passed through the hands of Niebaum’s descendants. Eventually the family started to sell off plots of the historic homestead. Even the proud name was put on the market in 1964 and sold to a corporation as merely a brand name. But in 1975, Francis Ford Coppola...
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Produced since 1999 as a partner to Rubicon, Inglenook’s premier red wine, Blancaneaux is a blend of three estate-grown white Rhône varieties. Marsanne and Roussanne contribute body and minerality, while Viognier adds intense aromas of tropical fruits. These varieties are grown in vineyard blocks that enjoy full morning sun but are in the cooling shadow of Mount St. John by mid-afternoon.
Inglenook has long embraced organic farming, and we were among the first Napa Valley wineries to have our vineyards certified organic more than 25 years ago. Our farming practices, combined with low temperatures during the winter before the 2020 growing season, made soil nutrients for good early spring growth available to all three of our white Rhône varieties. In turn, the leaf canopies developed early, and provided good protection from a heat spike we experienced just prior to harvest. The 2020 Blancaneaux harvest began with Viognier on August 20th and culminated with Marsanne and Roussanne on September 9th and 10th. The abundance of fruit was right on track, while quality was consistently excellent.
Brilliant gold-yellow in color, the wine opens with inviting accents of Meyer lemon curd, honeysuckle, and white peach. Seamless and creamy on the palate, this is a nicely concentrated wine. It closes with lingering notes of chamomile and juicy Anjou pear and retains a vibrant tension throughout.
Caramelised lemons on the nose, aromas of citrus patisserie. This is rich and bold, not in terms of texture - that is smooth and crisp and lifted, but you can feel the alcohol here and the spice from the wood. It's a little severe and high toned right now, sharp, on the linear, straight side, so you're getting spiced citrus fruit and alcohol. Needs to expand and soften but there's good potential.
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Pear and white-peach aromas with some citrus follow through to a full body with layers of fruit and a fresh finish. Mineral undertones. A rather solid and delicious white. Viognier, marsanne and roussanne.
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Subtle aromas currently, this wine will do well with plenty of air upon opening and a bit more time in bottle as well. There is a promise of more to come as it continues to evolve in bottle. Notes of white grapefruit pith, crushed lime blossom, a hint of melon and a bit of lychee are balanced with a savoury accent of sea salt. There is plenty of nuance here and an intriguing balance of richness with elegant presence, flesh on the palate yet tension and length. Nicely done.
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