Wrapping up with two whites, the 2012 Saint Joseph Domain Blanc is a blend of 97% Marsanne and 3% Roussanne that spent 10-12 months in 30% new French oak. Very fresh and pure, with lively green apples, citrus and tinges of lime, it’s a food-friendly, medium-bodied, delicious effort to drink over the coming couple of years. This was a stacked lineup from this top-notch estate, and I was able to taste through the lineup multiple times, once while visiting the domaine, and again in a larger lineup of wines from each appellation. They never failed to impress. Located in the tiny town of Chateaubourg and covering roughly 50 acres in Saint-Joseph and 20 in Cornas, most of which are ideally situated, Courbis is now run by Laurent and Dominique Courbis, with Laurent running the cellar and Dominique managing the vineyards. Despite the high quality, these wines remain reasonably priced, and also see good distribution in the US. It’s an estate that needs to be on every Northern Rhone lover’s short list. Importer: Russell Herman, Berkeley Heights, NJ; tel. (908) 771-9082