Joséphine and Frédéric Arnaud took over this super property in 1995, and make wines of real warmth, generosity and purity of fruit. Set high in the hills above the village of Tresques (to the north-west of Châteauneuf-du-Pape) the Arnauds have 90 hectares of syrah and grenache vines from which they make their enduringly popular Laudun. Laudun itself is where the Romans first camped when they landed in the south of France - and they knew a thing or two about making wine!
2023 Laudun Côtes-du-Rhône Blanc, Château Courac
White wines from Rhône are so often overshadowed by their red counterparts but they really can be a thing of absolute beauty and the Arnaud family's Laudun Blanc is a hidden gem.
Heralding from one of the best sites in the Southern Rhône, on the south facing slopes along the banks of the Rhône tributary Tave river, our latest find blends power with finesse to produce something altogether a bit different. Made with the ripest mix of white Rhône varieties, viognier, roussane, marsanne and grenache blanc, and using very limited oak, the style is one that really expresses purity of fruit but still with a roundness to match with some of the richest of foods.
Pale yellow in colour, its look is more reminiscent of a crisp Loire white, however the nose swiftly tells you this is something very different. Almost tropical aromas and tinned peaches spring to mind and bring a real sense of summer with fresh white flowers and spicy notes, perfect to lighten the mood on a grey February day.
If you would like to try its red counterpart - Château Courac's Laudun Red - click here.