Honeydew and cantaloupe notes feature prominently on the nose of the 2020 Saint Joseph les Challeys Blanc, an 80-20 blend of Marsanne and Roussanne. Medium to full-bodied, it's not the biggest, richest Saint-Joseph blanc, but it's smooth, easy drinking and harmonious, with a clean, refreshing finish.

Like the Crozes blanc, Delas's 2019 Saint Joseph les Challeys Blanc is a blend of 80% Marsanne and 20% Roussanne made and matured in stainless steel. Scents of crushed stone, lime and poached pear emerge on the nose, while the medium-bodied palate is smooth and silky in feel with ample length and intensity on the finish. I suspect this drink well for several more years.

The 2018 Saint Joseph les Challeys Blanc features attractive notes of crushed stone and citrus on the nose. Despite being plump and medium to full-bodied, it shows good focus and ample acidity on the finish. It's a wine that should drink well for a couple of years.

A blend of 80% Marsanne and 20% Roussanne, the medium to full-bodied 2017 Saint Joseph les Challeys Blanc is made and aged in stainless steel, yet it offers ripe, honeyed pineapple fruit and just enough brine and citrus zest to help it finish clean.

Made in a similar style, but slightly richer, the 2010 St.-Joseph Les Challeys Blanc is primarily Marsanne. It offers good freshness, acidity and depth. Another great negociant with significant vineyard holdings, and at the top of their game, is undeniably Delas, owned by the Louis Roederer/Deutz Champagne firm. Since they acquired Delas well over a decade ago, this firm has been under the management of Burgundian Jacques Grange, who has done an outstanding job producing a sensational array of wines. The 2009s appear to be their finest overall performances to date, and the 2010s are noteworthy successors in a more restrained, mineral dominated, crisper style. Jacques Grange did a fabulous job with his Cote Roties in both 2009 and 2010, the latter being a somewhat more challenging vintage in this appellation. The Hermitage Domaine des Tourettes (until the 2009 vintage, this offering was known as the Hermitage Marquise de la Tourette) is sensational in both 2010 and 2009. Three thousand cases of this cuvee are produced, and the wine is aged in French oak, 50% new.Importer: Maison Marques et Domaines, Oakland, CA; tel. (510) 587-2000