'La Fleur Solitaire' Côtes du Rhône Blanc by Domaine Boutinot is a proper white wine with delicate aromas and refined flavours. Its nuanced character and moderate body make it an ideal apéritif, and its subtle oaky notes make it a great accompaniment to delicate dishes like grilled asparagus or goats cheese salad. Its medium body also pairs perfectly with light fish and chicken dishes.

About the Producer

Boutinot’s love affair with the Southern Rhône spans thirty years of making wine in the region. In 2010, the relationship was sealed with the purchase of a winery and vineyards above the village of Cairanne. Domaine Boutinot’s seven vineyards are planted with classic southern Rhône grape varieties – old vine Grenache Noir and Syrah, Mourvèdre and Carignan Noir – and they all sit within the Cairanne Cru boundaries, sanctioned in 2016 when Cairanne was granted its own appellation status.

Working with their vigneron neighbours Boutinot are helping to revive traditional grape varieties such as Cinsault and Counoise. In the cellar they use the time-honoured winemaking methods such as a long cuvasion aided only by natural yeasts, gentle remontage, manual pigeage and patient maturation in a nursery of French oak barrels.

Vineyard and Winery

Following an experiment with a micro cuvée crafted from seven barrels back in 2009, Boutinot now source grapes from selected vineyards in the southern Rhône. Each parcel is picked separately in the cooler early daylight hours for gentle pressing that same morning, and each is fermented at a low temperature. To a base of Grenache Blanc, they blend Viognier along with co-fermented pairs of Roussanne/Marsanne and Bourboulenc/Clairette. Over the years they have increased the proportion vinified in stainless steel, with just under a third of the wine now vinified and matured for 6 months French oak barrels (mostly 3rd fill but some new) to add complexity and creaminess.