Marsanne

The story

Marsanne is Hermitage's white grape. The wines are rich, waxy, honeyed—nothing like crisp Sauvignon Blanc. Young Marsanne is closed and dumb. Aged Marsanne (10-20 years) is magnificent. Patience is required.

Insider story

Hermitage Blanc is one of France's greatest white wines. It's mostly Marsanne (with some Roussanne). The wines are rich, waxy, honeyed—low acidity, high alcohol, age-worthy.

But young Marsanne is a problem. From 2-8 years, the wine goes 'dumb'—closed, muted, uninteresting. Critics call it the 'awkward phase.' You have to wait 10-15 years for Marsanne to open up.

Australia (Victoria) also grows Marsanne. Tahbilk has 160-year-old Marsanne vines—the oldest in the world. The wines age 30-40 years.

But most consumers don't have patience. They drink Marsanne young and wonder what the fuss is about. The grape rewards cellaring.

Technical deep dive

Marsanne has low acidity (4.5-5.5 g/L), rich texture, and honeyed/waxy aromatics. Alcohol: 13-14.5% ABV.

The low acidity makes Marsanne prone to oxidation. Winemaking must be careful—minimal oxygen exposure, sometimes inert gas blanketing.

Blending: Hermitage Blanc blends Marsanne (80-90%) with Roussanne (10-20%). Roussanne adds acidity and aromatics. Pure Marsanne can be too heavy.

Industry secrets

Tahbilk (Victoria, Australia) has the world's oldest Marsanne vines (planted 1860s). The '1860 Vines' bottling ($40-80) ages 30-40 years. It's one of the world's great white wines, but nobody knows about it.

For collectors

More white grapes

• Mauzac
• Melon de Bourgogne
• Merwah
• Meskhuri Mtsvane
• Minnella