2012 St Peray le Mialan

(all marsanne): Light gold. Mineral-accented pear, lemon pith and ginger on the highly perfumed nose, with chamomile and honey nuances adding complexity. Dense and oily but energetic on the palate, offering deep orchard fruit and floral flavors that are sharpened by penetrating acidity. Finishes with excellent persistence and energy, leaving mineral and honey notes behind.

More rich and layered, the 2012 St.-Peray Le Mialan offers classic buttered citrus, white currant and tinges of apricot in its medium-bodied, juicy and nicely focused personality. Showing a solid mix of both richness and freshness, it's a serious effort to drink over the coming 4-5 years. Across the board, this is a superb lineup of wines that delivers high quality at all price points. Run by the team at Chapoutier, headed by Pierre-Henri Morel, the wines are made by Damien Brisset. This was a large tasting and I've simply listed the wines in the order we went through them. Within a vintage, the wines are broken up into three categories, the traditional releases, the Lieu-Dit releases, and the selections parcellaires releases. The 2011s are slightly softer and more streamlined than the 2012s. As a whole, they offer charming, supple and more medium-bodied profiles that will reward earlier drinking. Looking at the traditional releases in 2011, these wines show classic, yet approachable and delicious characters. In most cases they represent good value. Importer: A French Paradox, Peoria, IL; tel. (309) 682-8994