Clairette is the structural backbone of nearly every southern French white blend, the way Trebbiano is the backbone of much of central Italy. Most of the world drinks Clairette without knowing it. The varietal bottling is rare. A grower we source from has begun making a small varietal Clairette in Southern California, and the wine is one of the more interesting whites in our quarterly rotation.
What Clairette does in a blend
It provides body and a soft round mid-palate. It marries the sharper acid of Picpoul or Bourboulenc to the more aromatic whites like Viognier. Without Clairette most southern Rhone whites would feel jagged. With it they integrate.
What a varietal Clairette looks like
Pale gold in the glass. Aromas of white pear, almond, a soft lift of fennel. Medium body, restrained alcohol around twelve and a half percent, an acid line that runs across the palate without dominating. The wine is quiet. It is the kind of white that pairs with a long meal because it does not assert itself.
Why we pour it
Most of our members come to the club for the reds. The varietal Clairette is the white that has been winning members over to the whites. It pours well chilled, drinks well across a long dinner, and reminds people of the time they spent in Provence in a way no California Chardonnay can.