Domaine les Aphillanthes 'Clementia' Review

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'Clementia': What I think

I was disappointed by this wine. I suspect there are two reasons for this which have nothing to do with the quality of the wine.

First, I love Rhône white wines and especially the complexity, viscosity, honeyed and floral flavors. I love them because they’re bold and interesting to drink. This wine was subtle. Very subtle.

Second, I love Rhône white wines from California. If you are up on the New World vs Old World debates, then you can imagine why if I like the expression of Rhône grapes grown in California, I might not be so fond of a subtle selection from Gigondas.

I can’t be surprised by the lightness of the wine when reviewing its vinification — a mere three months in stainless steel and another 4-5 months in the cellar after bottling would definitely produce a lighter wine, especially when compared with oaked counterparts, especially anything which matured sur lies.

The overall production at Domaine Les Aphillanthes’ organic and biodynamic vineyards sits right around 10,000 cases. That’s pretty huge for terroir-driven wine, but still a small, family-owned winery.

“The parcels are spread around three local towns, Travaillan, Cairanne and Sérignan. The soil here is fine and loose and made up from limestone and clay with small round stones. It is healthy soil, without pollution from the synthetic chemicals so often used in conventional winemaking. The vines here can grow as deep as a 30 metres!”

Last updated: September 2, 2024