Bosquet des Papes, Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc, 2016

Bosquet des Papes is a decidedly old-school Chateauneuf house, passed father to son since 1860 and now in its fifth generation, working only with large wooden vessels rather than flashy new barriques. Their white is the rare bottling here, a blend of roughly 45% Clairette, 35% Grenache Blanc and 20% Bourboulenc, aged in demi-muids for texture without heavy oak. At only around 350 cases a year, it's a small production. The 2016 came from an excellent, balanced Rhone vintage, and with a decade of age now this white has shed any baby fat to show the honeyed, nutty, mineral depth that good Chateauneuf blanc develops. A wonderful match for richer cooking. Serve it not too cold.