Long a blending grape throughout southern France, Clairette can truly shine when planted in the right terroir.
There are some famous Clairette cuvées-which happen to be some of my favorite whites from the south: Isabel Ferrando's Vieille Vignes Blanc made from 100-year-old vines in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Domaine du Bagnol in Cassis (based largely on Clairette), and Louis Barruol's Château de St.-Cosme Le Poste Blanc in Gigondas.
For Clairette lovers (a small but growing club) the creation of Gigondas Blanc with the 2023 vintage is an exciting development. These white wines are required to contain a minimum of 70% Clairette, which means there is finally a region dedicated to elevating the grape to its rightful place among the great whites of the Rhône Valley.
When Gigondas was promoted to cru status in 1971, the classification was only applied to red wines and rosé. Consequently, most producers ripped out their white vines to plant more red.
The few producers that kept producing whites within Gigondas' borders were required to label them as humbler, more generic Côtes du Rhône.
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