Marsanne

Early History

Marsanne is believed to have originated in the town of Marsanne, near Montélimar in the northern Rhône Valley. The white wines of St-Joseph, Crozes-Hermitage, Hermitage, and St-Péray are made predominantly from Marsanne, often blended with Roussanne. As early as the seventeenth century the white wines from Hermitage were considered among the world's finest. Thomas Jefferson praised white Hermitage as "the first wine in the world without a single exception". More than 80% of the world's Marsanne is still found in France: some 3665 acres as of 2016, an increase of 20% since 2000.

The grape arrived in Australia in the late 1860s, and has been grown successfully in the vineyards of Victoria ever since. Australia is the world's second-largest producer, with 398 acres as of 2016. Marsanne arrived in California in the 1980s, and it has become an increasingly important component of white Rhône-style blends and is also bottled individually. Bob Lindquist, founder of Qupe and proprietor of Lindquist Family Wines, was an early and persistent advocate for the grape, with Qupe making the state's most famous single-varietal Marsanne since 1987. As of 2019, there were 125 acres of Marsanne planted in California, which represents about 3% of the California acreage dedicated to white Rhône varieties.

Marsanne in France

Plantings of Marsanne in the Northern Rhone have been growing over the last half-century as growers replace the more difficult -- and later-ripening -- Roussanne with the easier Marsanne. The vineyards at JL Chave (which have been in the same family since the Middle Ages) were historically equal parts Roussanne and Marsanne, but have been gradually moved to their current composition of 85% Marsanne and just 15% Roussanne.

Marsanne's history is shorter in the southern Rhône, and it is not permitted in the wines of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. It is, however, one of the eight white grapes permitted in the Côtes du Rhône appellation. As such, Marsanne is a significant component (usually 30%) of the Coudoulet de Beaucastel white blend, made from the portion of the Perrin family's property that lies inside Cotes du Rhone.

Marsanne in the Vineyard and Cellar

There are approximately two acres of Marsanne planted at Tablas Creek, representing about 6% of our white Rhône production. The varietal here is a vigorous producer with no significant growing problems, though it is sensitive to water levels. Careful monitoring throughout the growing season is often necessary. Marsanne vines produce a relatively heavy crop of loosely clustered berries, and require a secondary fruit pruning (of green or unpollinated clusters) six to eight weeks after the flowering. This practice encourages uniform ripening and good intensity. Marsanne ripens about one-third of the way through the picking season -– later than Viognier, earlier than Roussanne and about at the same time as Grenache Blanc -- and its berries are golden and medium-sized when ripe. It tends to ripen at fairly low sugars, and our Marsanne is often around 12% alcohol after fermentation.

We showcase Marsanne's proclivity for displaying the mineral flavors of the soils in which it is grown by fermenting it in stainless steel tanks. In most years, it is blended with a richer, more heady and aromatic Viognier to form the base of our Côtes de Tablas Blanc.

Flavors and Aromas

Wines made from Marsanne show a light straw color, with aromas of honeysuckle, melon, and crushed rock. Its flavors are honey, chamomile, and vanilla custard, with moderate-to-low acidity. Although it drinks well young, with time in bottle it picks up notes of hazelnut and almond, and the honey tones deepen to caramel.

Marsanne's mineral flavors and aromas, and its low alcohol, make it an ideal blending grape. The varietal has been historically blended with Roussanne, where it tones down the viscosity and acidity of Roussanne and provides a more complex flavor. We have found that Grenache Blanc and Viognier are our most frequent partners in this climate, and most years, Marsanne is our #2 grapes in our Viognier-based Côtes de Tablas Blanc. We have also produced a varietal Marsanne many vintages since 2010.

This article originally appeared in one of our newsletters. Each newsletter, we spotlight the history and characteristics of one of our Rhone varietals. You can sign up for our mailing list.

You can view a one-minute summary of Marsanne on our YouTube page.

You can go back to the summaries of the different Rhône grape varietals.