This was another bottle that G brought back from Paris, and I'm informed that it cost 25 euros in Monoprix. Neither of us had heard of this producer but we do like our white Beaunes so I was looking forward to trying it.
It was a pale gold colour and we decanted it just before drinking. It had been in the fridge all day so was on the cold side and I had trouble getting much on the nose, although I detected a certain florality and G got citrus. On the palate, it brought an immediate big smile to my face and was declared a 10 right away. It was precise, poised and singing - beautiful and perfectly balanced.
If we had looked it up in Coates beforehand, we might have had higher expectations as Rateau merits a star and the domaine is biodynamic. That makes sense. The Aux Coucherias vineyard is slightly higher up the slope from Aux Cras and Teurons so it's in a great location.
Sadly, Rateau doesn't seem to have any UK representation, but if I find myself in a Monoprix any time in the future I'll be looking out for it. Further confirmation that of the informal rule that producers beginning with R tend to be excellent (Roulot, Ramonet, Raveneau...) Lovely.
No comments:
Post a Comment