La Bernardine Blanc
⏳ Drinking Window
2022 - 2030
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Grilled sea bass with fennel, roasted chicken with spring herbs, creamy goat cheese
✨ Technical Specifications
M. Chapoutier's Châteauneuf-du-Pape 'La Bernardine' Blanc is a masterful expression of the southern Rhône's white winemaking heritage. Named in homage to the historic monastic influence in the region, this wine is crafted primarily from Grenache Blanc grown on the iconic terroir of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, characterized by sandy-clay soils and heat-retaining quartz river stones known as 'galets roulés'. To preserve the delicate, fresh aromatics of the grape, Chapoutier vinifies and ages this cuvée entirely in stainless steel tanks, avoiding oak contact. This traditional, low-intervention approach coaxes out a beautifully textured palate defined by white peach, acacia blossoms, and a distinctive mineral tension that reflects the sun-drenched, wind-swept terraces of the Rhône.
🍾 About the Producer
Established in 1808 in Tain-l'Hermitage, Maison M. Chapoutier was transformed into a global benchmark for terroir-driven viticulture after Michel Chapoutier took charge in 1990. Operating on the motto 'Fac & Spera' (Do and Hope), the estate became an early, outspoken pioneer of biodynamic farming in 1991 across its extensive estate vineyards. Rooted along the granite terraces, fluvioglacial alluvial soils, and limestone outcrops of the northern and southern Rhône Valley, Chapoutier crafts transparent, single-vineyard bottlings (sélections parcellaires) alongside international ventures in regions like Portugal's Douro Valley. Winemaking favors indigenous yeasts, gentle extraction, and minimal intervention to preserve purity of origin, often eschewing new wood in favor of neutral oak casks or concrete vats. Benchmark cuvées—famed for their tactile Braille labeling introduced in 1994—include Hermitage icons such as Le Méal Blanc, De l'Orée, Les Greffieux, and Côte-Rôtie's La Mordorée, epitomizing tension, minerality, and structural longevity.
🍇 Grapes
Grenache Blanc, Clairette
🍷 ABV
13.5% - 14.5%