2022 Domaine Ray-Jane, IGP du Var Blanc
2022 Domaine Ray-Jane, IGP du Var Blanc

2022 Domaine Ray-Jane, IGP du Var Blanc

Provence, France 2022 (750mL)
Regular price$23.00
/
Your cart is empty.
  • In stock, ready to ship
  • Inventory on the way
Fruit
Earth
Body
Tannin
Acid
Alcohol

2022 Domaine Ray-Jane, IGP du Var Blanc

On Le Plan du Castellet—the plateau above the village of Bandol, where Ray-Jane’s vineyards are located—you’re never more than a few miles from the Mediterranean. With constant sunshine and constant wind, grapes achieve even ripening while retaining vivid acidity, and the proximity to the sea imbues the local blancs with a saline edge. The soils here are a mix of pebbly limestone and clay.

Since 1288, throughout countless invasions, revolutions, plagues, and world wars, the aptly-named Constant family has continued farming their vineyards, harvesting fruit, and bottling exceptional wine. In France, Ray-Jane is recognized alongside greats like Tempier, but Ray-Jane is bottled in much smaller quantities and thus seldom makes a star turn on our side of the Atlantic. 

This bottling carries an IGP du Var designation, because some of the source vineyards are situated outside the Bandol AOC (though the soils, etc. are effectively the same). The wine is a blend of Clairette, Ugni Blanc, and several other field-blended local varieties, “direct pressed” to tank upon harvest and fermented in steel at controlled temperatures. The wine is tank-aged and intended for near-term enjoyment.

In the glass, a pale straw-yellow core leads to light green reflections at the rim. The bouquet delivers a beautiful saline kiss of stone fruit and white peach and a hint of green pineapple and yellow and orange flowers, honey, and Meyer lemon. The palate reveals a medium-plus body and a wonderful mix of exotic fruit flavors and classic Provençal garrigue notes.  


2022 Domaine Ray-Jane, IGP du Var Blanc
Country
Region
Sub-Region
Soil
Blend
Alcohol
OAK

France

Bourgogne

Beaujolais

Enjoying the greatest wines of Beaujolais starts, as it usually does, with the lay of the land. In Beaujolais, 10 localities have been given their own AOC (Appellation of Controlled Origin) designation. They are: Saint Amour; Juliénas; Chénas; Moulin-à Vent; Fleurie; Chiroubles; Morgon; Régnié; Côte de Brouilly; and Brouilly.

Southwestern France

Bordeaux

Bordeaux surrounds two rivers, the Dordogne and Garonne, which intersect north of the city of Bordeaux to form the Gironde Estuary, which empties into the Atlantic Ocean. The region is at the 45th parallel (California’s Napa Valley is at the38th), with a mild, Atlantic-influenced climate enabling the maturation of late-ripening varieties.

Central France

Loire Valley

The Loire is France’s longest river (634 miles), originating in the southerly Cévennes Mountains, flowing north towards Paris, then curving westward and emptying into the Atlantic Ocean near Nantes. The Loire and its tributaries cover a huge swath of central France, with most of the wine appellations on an east-west stretch at47 degrees north (the same latitude as Burgundy).

Northeastern France

Alsace

Alsace, in Northeastern France, is one of the most geologically diverse wine regions in the world, with vineyards running from the foothills of theVosges Mountains down to the Rhine River Valley below.

Others We Love