2016 Rotem & Mounir Saouma - Chateauneuf-du-Pape Blanc Magis

Scheduled to be bottled in September and brought up all in demi-muids, the 2016 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Magis Blanc is certainly one of the whites of the vintage and will give a Grand Cru white Burgundy a run for its money. Orchard and white peach fruits, honeysuckle, toasted brioche, and crushed rock-like minerality all give way to a medium to full-bodied, concentrated, yet exceedingly elegant white that stays tight and focused on the palate, with beautiful tension and purity. There need to be more whites like this from the Southern Rhône. It's going to benefit from a year in bottle and keep for two decades. Burgundy-based Mounir Saouma continues to make exotic, singular wines from his cellar located north of Orange. The estate likes to include lots of press wine, keep wine on skins for years, and bottle unfined and unfiltered.