Château Mont-Redon Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc 2024 is a dry white blend from the southern Rhône Valley, built on Grenache Blanc with Clairette, Roussanne, Bourboulenc and Picpoul alongside. The 2024 growing season was a cooler one in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, and the wine shows it in bright, clearly drawn fruit rather than richness.

White peach, grapefruit and a squeeze of lemon lead the aromatics, with honeysuckle and a dusting of fennel seed behind them. Air brings something waxier and more savoury, closer to almond skin and dried pear.

The palate is medium-bodied and quietly generous, with citrus acidity running the length of it and keeping the softer stone fruit in check. Texture is the point here, a gentle creaminess through the middle giving way to a dry, faintly saline finish that lasts longer than the modest weight suggests.

Serve it with roast chicken and tarragon, grilled prawns, a whole snapper off the barbecue, or a wedge of aged goat's cheese. It also handles richer vegetable dishes well, from pumpkin risotto to a leek and gruyère tart.

Drink from now through to about 2031. This white Châteauneuf-du-Pape is approachable straight away for its freshness, though a couple of years in the cellar will draw out the nuttier, honeyed side that older examples of the appellation are prized for. Serve it around 10 to 12 degrees, not colder, or the texture disappears.