Shiny, attractive yellow robe; the bouquet is bright and well-filled, bears apricot, greengage plum fruit airs, a note of licorice, is good and up to kick things off. The palate is expressive right away, bustles along on a stream of white fruits with good verve and freshness, the extended finish bringing in a little oily ripeness into the texture. It carries weight, with the carbonic gas helping its movement. It’s most engaging, gives Marsanne in a very good light.
More tropical fruits, exotic flowers, green tea, and salty minerality emerge from the 2017 Saint-Péray Les Figuiers, which is the top cuvée from Saint-Péray and is 60% Roussanne and 40% Marsanne. It’s a medium to full-bodied, nicely focused, even tight (which is rare in the vintage) white that stays seamless and elegant. Give bottles a year, and it’s going to keep for at least 7-8. It shows the saltiness that I almost always find in this terrific appellation.