with gold, green, and brown hues. It is a relatively new
grape when considering varietal. It does have great
popularity in the Rhone Valley though. It is the most popular
white wine grape in Northern Rhone Valley. It has helped
to increase the popularity of the "Rhone Style" wine in
California and the United States in a general sense. Its skin
is said to be sort of like a peach, semi-thick. To me this
grape looks like those grapes you can get as decoration that
are made of rubber and are hollowed. This is beside the
point though. This grape is delicate, as you may say, to
produce. If it is in a climate that is too hot then it can over-
ripen and if turned into wine can make the wine very "flabby". This grape is highly susceptible to
molds and other disease that grape varieties are in danger of. On the other hand, if the climate is too
cool then the grape does not fully ripen and you get a very bland tasteless wine. That
being said, most harvesters try and harvest the grapes before they are fully ripened. It's place of
origin is in France. It began in the region known as the Northern Rhone Valley in a town called
Marsanne. This grape is unique in that it has a nutty taste to it as a grape and also an orange type
flavor. It is moderate in acidity and has a mid-palate richness to it. It grows best in a granite soil
base, which is what the Northern Rhone Valley provides for this gentle grape. This grape obviously
grows there still and has found its way to growing extensively in California as well as Washington. It
also has found a "natural" home in Australia dating back even a century ago. As this grapes vines age
(up to 15 years) their flavoring becomes more nutty and deeper. These are the flavorings that they
add to wine. They are known for giving depth to wine and richness.
This grape when used to make wine can transform into a more honeysuckle and melon taste. In
weight structure the Marsanne is similar to a Chardonnay. Yet, much of the time because of
the fragility of this grape and its flavorings, it is not usually alone. Most of the time this grape variety
is blended with others to make a full bodied wine. Roussanne is the most common variety to be
blended with Marsanne. The Marsanne settles down the acidity of the Roussanne and they make a
nice blend together, instead of the bland Marsanne all by itself. Alone it has a waxy and oily type
feel, and tastes of almond paste. It has citric notes along with a floral and melon note. In its finish
you may have the sensations of the oaky, vanilla, or toast type. It is versatile in the fact that it can be
a dry wine or a sweet wine. That being said, since Marsanne has a low acidic content it is best to be
consumed young. Obviously from the descriptions Marsanne can be a heavy wine. This is why most
are blended with an acidic grape variety. This is needed to cut through the dense content of
Marsanne wine.
There is one wine called Tahbilk Marsanne. This vineyard still produces Marsannes dating back to
1927 vines. They state that this wine they have made is very versatile and can pair very well with
food. They state that it has a lot of complexity. This particular wine has won 19 trophies, 79 gold,
109 silver, and 277 bronze medals awarded since 1992.
You can buy this wine online for around $13 with
a 2012 vintage. Note: remember to drink in a
sooner than later amount of time because of the
low acidity in this wine. It has a 12.5% alcohol
content.
As for the blended variety of Marsanne-Roussanne,
they are different in that you can age them for up to
ten years. The Roussanne allows for the Marsanne
to stay delectable for a little while longer.
Under Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) regulations
the red wines of Hermitage are allowed to have up to 15%
of Marsanne in them. The Marsanne wines can be oak aged to provide more body to the wine. It is important to
know that some Marsanne wines can have a very high alcohol content. This wine is known to be delicate and
with exciting flavor. I know I want a bottle as we speak. This blend is most popular in Hermitage. The top
producers in Hermitage are JL Chave and Chapoutier. For those living in the United States, you may be I
interested in knowing that in California the top wineries having the most success with Marsanne are Tablas Creek
and Sine Qua Non. The Sine Qua Non winery has also produced a non-traditional blend that also included a
blend of Chardonnay. Still, after finding all the producers of Marsanne in the world, France is still the strongest
leader in producing the most Marsanne viticulture. There are common synonyms for the Marsanne grape are
Avilleran, Champagne Piacentina, Ermitage, Grosse Roussette, Hermitage, Johannisberg, Marsan
Belyi, Marsanne Blanche, Metternich, Rhin, Rousseau, Roussette de Sainte-Peray, Roussette Grosse,
Seme du Rhin, White Hermitage, Zrmitazh. If you are interested in trying this grape varietal then just
look for the Marsanne name or any of the other synonyms.
Lets give this wine a try. Especially if it is going to be as inexpensive as this wine here.
References
Marsanne Wine Grape. (n.d.). Retrieved December 16, 2012, from Wine-Searcher website:
http://www.wine-searcher.com/grape-268-marsanne
Marsanne. (n.d.). Retrieved from Wineaccess website: http://www.wineaccess.com/wine/grape/marsanneLamar, J. (n.d.). Marsanne. Retrieved from Professional Friends of Wine website:http://www.winepros.org/wine101/grape_profiles/marsanne.htm
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