Roussanne, Marsanne, combination?

Roussanne or Marsanne or combination or?

I just posted on a Roussanne / Marsanne blend and wonder what the board thinks of these varietals, by themselves and/or combined.

I am a long time fan of Roussanne, drink and sell an inordinate amount for a varietal with little acreage or recognition worldwide. I am a relatively recent convert to the glories of Marsanne.

AFAIK both of these varietals are grown in the northern Rhone, the southern Rhone, Languedoc, California and Australia. Roussanne is also grown in Savoie. I would be glad to hear from board members of other places, as well as their preferences. It’s fall here in Maine, my consumption will be shifting towards red, but I like these varietals as having the weight to be winter whites, so they figure in my rotation year round.

Dan Kravitz

Great topic. Love these. I voted for a blend. Would love to try hundreds of bottles to prove my early bias of blending to be incorrect.

Hi Chris,

Thanks for chiming in. I also wish I had more opportunities for these.

You need another penny in your avatar if you’re going to give us your two cents worth.

Dan Kravitz

I usually prefer Roussanne on its own but recently had a 1993 Marsanne from Qupe that’ll was out of this world.

I produced my own Marsanne for the first time in 2014 and love where it’s at right now, with hopes that it will age nicEly. I’ve made a straight Roussanne since 2012 and dig it.

I also do a Roussanne based blend, but up until now, it has not contained any marsanne. That will change with 2016.

Side note- my Marsanne juice this year smelled and tasted like fresh clover honey!

Cheers

That sounds deelish!

Because these varieties are so intertwined with each other (in vinifying and geography, they always appear together frequently), I confuse which is which. I think it’s the rousanne which has the nuttier side while marsanne is the more floral component. They can both be equally good, but in different ways and I feel the match together is as good a one as there is.

Since you are a well-traveled importer, I doubt I could offer any suggestions to you that you haven’t already tried. Perhaps you should tell us which ones You like!

Markus,

I find the varietal characters opposite: Roussanne, the more floral, Marsanne the nuttier (I would say earthier).

As an importer, until recently I did not work much in regions that grow these grapes… in the cases that I do, I will not post on anything I import because I do not consider that ethical.

I hope others chime in.

Dan Kravitz

Don’t have a strong preference or remote amount of confidence that I could tell the difference between the two in a blind tasting. Like them both a great deal, and appreciate the weight and overt oak they often seem to show. Feels like a winter white.
Coincidentally, opened a 2014 Campesino 50/50 blend of the two tonight. Very nice wine.

Dan
The wheat penny is in memory of Bob Wood. I am not quite man enough to pretend to throw another inwithout his permission.

That will forever be reserved for ‘His Obstiancne’.

That being said, I love the topic because I think this is a tremendously under-discussed grape(s) / blend.

Truly hope this thread gets legs.

I would agree that Marsanne tends to be nuttier, but not always. That said, when I think of Marsanne, I think of marzipan

IIRC, Qupe now adds something like 20% Roussanne to their Marsanne for increased aromatics . . .

Cheers.

Well like I said, I get confused. I just know that one tends to resolve in a weird way (I think the Marsanne), tending to have a weird shut-down period with strange flavors (Airplane glue, anyone?), but when it comes out of it’s shell, it can be interesting.

Have only had them separately as a component tasting for a blend in the northern Rhone.The fact that one is grown on clay and the other shist has always seemed more defining, but I’ll take closer notes next time.Would love to do a horizontal next yr of 14’s here in NYC if people are interested. Marsanne’s,Roussane’s and blends.

Great timing for this post as just two days ago I picked both Roussanne and Marsanne for a wine that I am making this year (first time working with either grape). Here’s a comparison of a typical cluster of each (picked same day, adjacent rows). Roussanne on the left and Marsanne on the right.

Adam Lee
Siduri Wines

Interesting pic Adam. My Marsanne never shows that green, mine always showis more of a yellow tint.

Interesting Brian. Again, I have no clue…first time I’ve worked with the stuff.

I pressed the Marsanne with about 15% Roussanne added in. This morning I am pressing the rest of the Roussanne after 36 hours sitting on the skins. Keeping those separate. The Marsanne/Roussanne juice combination tasted really super yesterday, so I am hopeful.

Adam Lee

I need a bigger denominator.

That’ll be interesting to taste - not a variety I would think to do skin contact on.

Cheers

Happy to do a horizontal of '14s next year in New York. I would want to brown bag, to see if I can tell one from the other. I’d like to think so, but have never tried it before.

AFAIK most white Hermitage today is primarily or entirely Marsanne.

Dan Kravitz

I chose the following:
I like Roussanne
I like Marsanne
I like these varietals equally
I think Roussanne on its own can produce great wine
I think Marsanne on its own can produce great wine
I think the two blended together can produce great wine

I do like both of these varieties, but rarely drink them, as I often find them boring and/or blowsy. That said, it’s awfully hard to argue with the magic of Beaucastel’s Vieilles Vignes (for Roussanne). Once upon a time, I thought I preferred Roussanne to Marsanne, but then I had a bottle of Chapoutier’s mid-level Marsanne with a bit more than 20 years of bottle age on it and my mind was instantly opened to the wonders of Marsanne.

Dan- happy to do it blind, let me know when would work for you.

One of my favorites is Chapoutier Chante-Alouette which is 100% marsanne and ages beautifully