Antoine-Marie Arena Patrimonio Blanc Hauts de Carco 2018

Gazing up at the lofty incline Arena calls “Hauts de Carco,” which climbs a towering limestone ridge littered with fossilized seashells, inspires awe on every occasion. If the rocky white soil is comparable to that of Chablis, the wine is certainly as chalky, and drinking it provides the same thrill I feel when I look up at that impossibly steep slope, with the glistening Mediterranean lurking just over the hills. It is both lusciously creamy and tightly coiled, striking an impeccable balance achievable only by the most skilled vignerons in very top terroirs.