Domaine des Schistes Illico Blanc 2020

Cotes Catalanes IGP, Roussillon, France

Domaine des Schistes Illico Blanc is a beautiful dry white wine from Roussillon. The Roussillon area, almost surrounded by the foothills of the Pyrenees, forms an amphitheatre looking out over the Mediterranean, bordered to the south by the Pyrenees themselves and fringed to the north by the rugged hill country of the Corbières. Vines have grown here in the Roussillon for more than two thousand years, the earliest traces of its cultivation reaching back to the times of Ancient Greece. Our family has worked the land here for several generations. Our estate, Domaine des Schistes, stands where the terroirs of the Agly river valley intersect on vineyards in the villages of Estagel, Tautavel and Maury. The diversity of soil, exposure and microclimate enables us to produce a range of wines, each with an affirmed character yet hallmarked by a mineral touch from the schist soils and the warmth of the Roussillon’s grape varieties.

Domaine des Schistes Illico Blanc is a blend of Macabeo and Vermentino from the I.G.P. Côtes catalanes zone, from plots around the village of Estagel. The vines are mostly young and grow in deep but light soils, resulting in refreshing, gulpable wines best drunk when young and crisp. It offers a nose of wildflower, bitter almond, citrus, apple, floral note, mineral, apricot, peach and acacia and flavors of green apple, pear, citrus, honeysuckle, and lime, with nice acidity.

Domaine des Schistes Illico Blanc is an outstanding accompaniment to appetizers, scallops, lobster, grilled fish, and salads.