MARSANNE

Marsanne is a white wine grape variety that has found its home in the Northern Rhône valley of France, where it is used to produce the white wines of St. Joseph, Crozes-Hermitage, and Hermitage.

It is a difficult grape to cultivate as it is susceptible to disease and is particularly sensitive to extreme climatic changes. In the Northern Rhône it tends to be blended with the Rousanne white grape variety and produces richly aromatic, nutty wines which have the capacity to age very well.

The grape is increasingly being grown in the Southern Rhône and also the Languedoc-Roussillon wine region of southern France where it is bottled as a single varietal white wine or blended with Roussanne, Viognier, and sometimes Chardonnay. It is also grown very successfully in the Victoria wine region of Australia, where particularly at the Tahbilk winery, some of the worlds' oldest Marsanne vines are to be found.