Vacqueyras blanc Les Prémices 2023 Roucas Toumba | Rhône

Roucas Toumba’s white Vacqueyras Les Prémices is Éric Bouletin’s most exclusive cuvée. The blend combines Marsanne, Roussanne, Viognier, Clairette, Bourboulenc, and White Grenache, sourced from two plots with very distinct characteristics: one on deep calcareous clay, the other on garrigue soil and rounded pebbles. The grapes are harvested early in the morning to preserve the fruit’s freshness, followed by direct pressing, a 24-hour cold settling, and transfer to barrels without the addition of yeast. The Bouletin family is one of the oldest in the village, with records dating back to 1580, and this cuvée embodies something of that deep-rooted heritage.

Philippe Mischler, sommelier at Mundovin: Les Prémices de Roucas Toumba is a white wine from the southern Rhône that defies all expectations. Éric Bouletin aims for low yields to highlight his terroir; resulting in refined, mineral-driven wines that are not lacking in depth. The appellation’s rare and precious diversity of white grape varieties lends a complexity here that one doesn’t suspect at first sip.

On the nose, a bouquet that is both floral and sun-kissed—composed of white flowers, peach, and apricot—is underscored by an unexpected mineral freshness beneath the Provençal sun. Marsanne contributes density, Viognier brings generosity, and Clairette adds tension.

Ageing on the lees gives the palate an enveloping texture and a briny finish. It is full-bodied without being heavy, precise without being austere: a white wine from the garrigue that, when decanted, continues to unfold endlessly.