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Why It Sucks to Be Michelle/Marsanne, or I Ain’t No Marsala, I Ain’t No Roussanne,
and I Sure As Hell Ain’t That Girl from Dawson’s Creek!
Do you know me? No, I’m not her; she was last week. I’m the other one. The other other one. No, not one of the two that got fired. And no, not the one that left right after she was hired with me to replace the two that got fired. I’m the one that stuck around until the very end. Technically I’m still in the band, since we never actually broke up. We’re just “taking a break,” “on hiatus,” you know. Riiiiiiight.
No, I was never married to Heath Ledger. I wasn’t in Brokeback Mountain; I don’t have a daughter named Matilda; I wasn’t nominated for an Oscar. That’s the other Michelle Williams. The white girl. The one who always looks like a cinder block fell on top of her head
and squished her face together.Her. Not me. She’s the actress. I’m a singer. Well, she’s the film actress anyway. I do Broadway. And I do it well. Unlike those other girls I used to sing with who are off doing their Sasha Fierce/marrying Jay-Z/booty shake thing or singing duets with anyone who can carry a tune, I went a different route: gospel, baby. And Broadway. Was the first Child of Destiny to drop something solo, back in ‘02. Hit number 1 on the Gospel charts with that album. Got some good reviews for playing Aida on Broadway. Only Child of Destiny who’s done Broadway, y’know. Album number 2 debuted at number 2 on the Gospel charts. Did more theater, including the lead role in Oprah’s The Color Purple musical in Chicago, in front of Oprah herself. Dropped album number 3 – no gospel this time, more pop and dance. Had a couple of number one dance singles with that one. Going back to Broadway this summer to play Roxie Hart in Chicago...and yet see? Everyone keeps ignoring me and forgets my name, but I got a real career too. I’m successful, making my money, winning awards and acclaim, but you never hear about me or what I’m up to. All you hear is Beyonce-this and Sasha Fierce-that and occasionally Kelly Rowland blah blah blah. But I’m the one out there grinding. Earning my chops. Getting my licks in. Getting mine while the gettin’ is good. And I’m the one you’re still going to be hearing from years from now. I’m setting myself up for greatness and longevity down the road. Mark my words, people. I’ll be the one you’ll be hearing from in the future. I’ll be there when you finally get there. That’s Michelle Williams. M-I-C-H-E-L-L-E. And not the white chick either. So don’t you forget it!
*****
Hi there. Do you know me? Probably not. Not a lot of people do. But I’m a grape. A white Rhone grape. No, I’m not Viognier. And no, I’m not Roussanne either, though I sound like it and I’m usually found hanging around both of those two in the vineyard or blended with them in some combination to form harmonious white Rhone wines (we don’t do varietal wines here, since we all have our individual strengths and weaknesses and parts to play – I ain’t no hater!). And no, I’m not some Italian wine they use to make chicken and veal dishes either. That’s Marsala, people, Marsala! That’s not even a varietal wine; it’s fortified. They add spirits to it, like they do to Port. I’m 100% natural. Everything you see, smell, and taste in me is my own. Nothing artificial added. No plastic surgery here.
Yet, for some reason, you hardly ever find me out on my own, like you do with the two I’m always paired with. I have no idea why, though. I’m about a thousand times better than those two (still not hatin’, though. Still not hatin’). Much less of a diva than both of them, though I’m still susceptible to the same mildew and rot that they are and have got to be picked just before ripeness or else I can get too heavy in the alcohol department or else end up just flat-out tasteless. But here’s the real dirty little secret you need to know about me: I’m about a thousand times more popular than those other two. Oh sure, one may get entire appellations all to itself (no matter how tiny they are), and the other may get to play in the exclusive playground of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, but I’m the one that most vintners in the Rhone are planting and growing and using in their wines. I’m the one that’s allowed to be added to Syrah in Hermitage AOC wines (up to 15% of me, too). I’m the one who makes up 90% of the Saint-Peray appellation, where they turn me into sparkling white wine. I’m the one that usually dominates the blends when they pair me with Roussanne. So why can’t I get any respect? Why is nobody calling me an “up and coming” grape or planting more of my for my own varietal wine? Why, why, why?
Here’s something else you should know about me: internationally, I’m vastly more popular than those other two. Well, okay, maybe just Roussanne. But I’m grown in a lot of the same places it is – the Central Coast of California, Washington State, Australia – and they grow me in Switzerland too. Sure it’s under a different name – either Ermitage or Ermitage blanc – but that’s all me, boy. They do the same thing in the Savoie region of France too and call me Grosse Roussette there. But it’s still me. All me. That’s how big I am. And that’s how I roll. Fat.
Why am I better than those others (still not hatin’, y’all. Just stating facts)? Because I’m the one who can age gracefully, baby. I’m the one that gives those other two their length and longevity. As I age, I get more experienced and more complex; those other two just get tired and played out. Not me, I get darker in color, nuttier and spicier in scent, and more robust and honeyed in my flavors. You can even put me in oak for a while to give me more body. Try doing that to those other wines. The only reason you’d oak them is to try to settle them down and tame them, control their wild side. Not me. I’m sophisticated. I can play just as hot as they can, but I will last and last and last. And that’s why you haven’t heard the last of me. Soon people all over the world will be screaming my name, asking for me from the wine lists, and going to special tastings
just to drink me. Mark my words, people. I’ll be the one you’ll be hearing from in
the future. I’ll be there when you finally get there. That’s Marsanne.
M-A-R-S-A-N-N-E. And not those other Rhone white grapes either. So don’t you
forget it! I ain’t no Forgotten Grape. I’m Marsanne, dammit!
What It Looks Like, What It Smells Like, and What It Tastes Like
Most Marsanne wines have aromas that are equal parts citrus and sweet nuttiness, almost like an almond paste. You will often get scents of pear, melon, and honeysuckle on Marsannes as well. But when you let a Marsanne age, a whole new bevy of aromas come into play. The nuttiness of the wine becomes more prominent, as does the spice. It can take on a more honeyed aroma, and in some cases, you get a scent that I have best and most entertainingly seen described as model airplane glue. You can’t make this stuff up. So yes, Marsanne, the only wine that can get you high both by drinking it, and by sniffing it. If that isn’t one of the best selling points I’ve ever seen for a wine, then I don’t know what is. Pick some up today.
Younger Marsanne wines normally have flavors of citrus, pear, melon – many of the same aromas you find on the young wines. But again, once the wines get older, deeper flavors of honey and nuts and spices emerge from the wine. But perhaps what makes Marsanne most intriguing is the viscous, waxy mouth feel that the wines can have. It is often described as oily sometimes as well. Marsannes are incredibly round wines, and provide a lot of depth and complexity of flavor, especially when compared to Viogniers and Roussannes. But beware, under-ripe Marsannes can be almost bland and tasteless in flavor, and Marsannes allowed to ripen too much will be heavy in alcohol and flabby from a lack of acidity. The general dearth of acidity in Marsanne is one of the reasons single varietal winemakers prefer the sharper and crisper Viogniers and Roussannes to Marsanne.
• Yes, Marsanne is not one of the thirteen grapes legally allowed to be part of the blend of Chateauneuf-du-Pape wines like its sister Roussanne (in Chateauneuf, they use Clairette blanc instead to provide the mellow, viscous texture, richer fruit and nuttiness, and age-ability Marsanne would normally provide). But that doesn’t mean that Marsanne is excluded from all the fun everywhere. It is one of the nine white grapes legally allowed to be grown and used in the Cotes du Rhone AOC (along with Bourboulenc, Clairette Blanche, Grenache Blanc, Muscat Blanc, Picardan, and northern Rhone sisters Roussanne and Viognier). Plus, Marsanne is the primary grape used in white blends from the Hermitage, Crozes-Hermitage, and Saint-Joseph appellations, and up to 15% Marsanne can legally be blended into Syrah to create the vaunted red Hermitage AOC wines, though very few producers actually utilize this, except in off years with bad weather where the Syrah needs to either be tamed or given an alcoholic wake-up slap.
• Saint-Peray may be virtually unknown to most American wine drinkers, but it is one of the few Meccas for Marsanne in all of France – if not the world. If you’ve ever spent any time stumbling along or drinking your way up the Rhone, then you’ve at least heard about it and by chance have had the opportunity to have drink the wines. Saint-Peray is the southernmost appellation of the northern Rhone wine-growing region, located due west across the Rhone from the bustling town of Valance and immediately south of the rugged, Syrah-only appellation of Cornas (one of the Friends of the Forgotten Grapes’ favorites...What? We can still enjoy other Grapes that aren’t necessarily Forgotten. So sue us.). Though still white wines can be produced in the appellation (and more and more are every year), what Saint-Peray is best known for and produces the most of are sparkling white wines made predominantly from Marsanne with some Roussanne added. Almost 90% of all grapes grown in Saint-Peray are Marsanne, and this same balance goes into the sparkling wines, which are all crafted in the Methode Champenoise style.
This method – perfected and used by all sparkling wine producers in the Champagne region, in case you had trouble figuring that out, genius – allows the wine to undergo
its second fermentation in the bottle, rather than in the vat or cask. Small amounts of additional yeast are added to the wine after the initial fermentation and bottling, and the carbon dioxide by-product of this secondary fermentation is trapped inside thanks to a cap fitted over the mouth of the bottle. As the second fermentation ends, the leftover yeast is allowed to settle in the neck of the bottle, and then the bottles are chilled,
so that just the liquid and yeast in the neck freezes. Once the cap is removed, the
ice pellet of yeast is pushed out of the bottle by the carbon dioxide, and the bottle
is quickly corked and sealed to trap the rest of the CO2 inside. And now you know
exactly how Methode Champenoise sparkling wines are made! You’re welcome.
Fun Facts to Impress/Bore People At Parties
From Brein’s Brain to Your Plate
“Man, this just goes from tough to tougher, doesn’t it? Okay, not really, because Marsanne is a totally different wine from Roussanne. It’s got more depth, less acid, and most of all, it’s usually a bit slicker than Roussanne, with more texture and stickiness to it. Kind of like an oil slick, but not that thick. So because of that, and because they can have heavy alcohol, you need an ingredient with a big fatty content to balance the wine. Something like red tuna. Big fresh, red slabs of Yellowfin or Bluefin or even Wahoo – fish that have that really oily consistency. Those should pair up well with the wine. Marsanne makes for a really excellent sushi wine. Seriously, try it out.”
“So if fish and sushi isn’t really your thing or you have a tough time getting a hold of sushi-grade tuna near you, you can go in the opposite direction with Marsanne: charcuterie. Dried meats, salumis, pates – they’re all going to have that sticky, oily texture that will blend in with the wine, but the savoriness and robustness of the meat should set off the more intense fruit flavors and nuttiness in the wine. Or if you wanted to throw it into overdrive, serve your charcuterie with some sauerkraut and watch the flavors explode in your mouth. The sharp tang from the pickling of the kraut will substitute nicely for the lack of acid in the wine and really bring all three flavors into harmony. Think of it like a Beach Boys song – like ‘Good Vibrations’ or something from their ‘Smile’-era psychedelic phase. Good Vibrations. Sweet!”
“Okay, we’ll go French with this last pairing, although it won’t be an exact match, because what I have in mind isn’t exactly from the same region as Marsanne: vichyssoise. But it’s got to be classic: ice cold, not too creamy, a little watery, and not too
much leek. But the cold and the earthy mellowness of the
potato will work surprisingly well with a Marsanne; it’s why
you can’t have too much leek or the soup will be too bold
and completely wrestle away the balance from the wine. But
done right, vichyssoise can be awesome with Marsanne,
even if they come from completely disparate regions.”
Chef Brein Clements is the chef/owner of Restaurant Omakase in Riverside, CA, which
is quickly becoming SoCal’s answer to El Bulli. Minus the molecular gastronomy. He
began his cooking career at Domaine Chandon in the Napa Valley and moved on to become
Chef de Cuisine at the famed Balboa Bay Club before opening his own restaurant. Plus
he’s only 27. My man knows his wine and he knows his food. Each week he’ll provide
ingredient and dish recommendations that match up well with the week’s forgotten
grape. You should heed what he says. No, seriously, heed it.
Go On. Try It. You’ll Like It. 
Well, we had all intentions of tasting and reviewing the 2005 Rosenblum Cellars Sonoma
County Marsanne here, but when we opened the bottle for our tasting, it was corked.
And since we’d special-ordered it from our Friends at Napacabs.com, by the time they
were going to be able to get us a new bottle (which is what any reputable wine shop
should do if you’ve got a corked bottle – more on that next week), it was too late.
Sorry, folks. Park’s closed. Breaks of the game and all that.
2007 Domaine Astruc Marsanne
Despite our disappointment in not being able to taste the Rosenblum, we persevered
and moved on to this wonderful little number we got from our brand new Friend of
the Friends of Forgotten Grapes, Kevin at Wines and Makers. Seriously, check out
his site because it’s awesome, he has awesome Forgotten Grape wines for sale, and
he does awesome video reviews and interviews of wines and winemakers (hence the name
Wines and Makers). And if you’re anything like us, you’ll find yourself imitating
his unique trademark “Welcome to Wines and Makers. I’m Kevin,” intro all the time.
Seriously, it’s awesome.
So, this is authentic, honest-to-goodness French Marsanne, though because almost
all of the Rhone Marsanne is blended with other grapes, this 100% varietal wine hails
from, of course, the Langudoc, which as you know from previous entries is the Wild,
Wild West/Temecula Valley of French wine – where anything goes. But the Astruc is
quite a wine, with apple pie and spice, acacia, and honey on the nose, and a really
soft, round oily and briny palate that finished crisp and clean with a slight acidic
pop. The taste was akin to Welch’s White Grape juice, although we could have sworn
we also got a little cheese flavor in there as well. Kevin has got this for you at
Winesandmakers.com, and since he’s our new best friend, tell him we sent you to him
just to get the Astruc. Just don’t tell him we told you to imitate his voice. Because
that’s just going to sound mean.
2005 Tahbilk Marsanne
So outside of France and California (grrr, stupid corked Rosenblum...), the other
major hot-spot for Marsanne is Australia, and as we discovered only after the fact,
Tahbilk has perhaps the oldest Marsanne vines in the world. The Marsanne grape was
actually introduced to Australia in the 1860s (yes, Civil War-era; ours, not theirs)
and these gnarled beauties were planted in the Victoria region in 1927. Suffice to
say, when we opened this bottle up and tried it, we could immediately tell it was
from the Victoria region of Australia, because Victorian wines are known for their
funk, and this wine had funk to spare. Honestly, that had to be wet dog on the nose,
didn’t it? Or was it something akin to a Riesling scent, that glycerin/sterile bandage/airplane
glue aroma (there it is!). Or maybe baby oil? Or the clear plastic dome sitting on
top of a White Cherry Slurpee? Brein even though it smelled like raw veal. And yes,
all of these are good things. Flavor-wise it was all over the map: it drank like
a super dry Riesling with no trace of sweetness at all, but we also got some overripe
banana and white cranberry flavors in there as well. Actually the best comparison
we found when tasting was to a Rockstar Energy Drink. No lie, the flavors were a
dead-on match. Suffice to say we enjoyed it fully because it kept us guessing, and
we’ll definitely be back for more. We found this little sheila (Aussie slang– whoohoo!)
at another new Friend of the Friends of the Forgotten Grapes, Southern Hemisphere
Wine Center, which specializes in only wines from, you guessed it, the Southern Hemisphere
(that would be Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Argentina, and Chile, for those
of you geographically-deficient). Give a bottle a whirl for yourself, and
find out how exciting winemaking can be below the Equator.
Think you’ve got a better pop culture icon to describe Marsanne than what we came up with? Let us know in our Comments section. If it’s good enough, we may use it in a future update.
Taste, smell, or see something different? Let us know in our Comments section.
Know something about Marsanne that we don’t? Share it with us and other wine lovers out there in our Comments section.
Think you can pair food and wines better than Brein can? Share your best food pairings with Marsanne in our Comments section and see what the master has
Our Friend of the Forgotten Grapes Tasting Squadron tastes all of the wines you see
here ahead of time to ensure that you aren’t getting anything rotten or clunky. We
also try to ensure that most of the wines highlighted here are affordably priced
($20 or less) so you can try them out for yourself without having to take out a second
mortgage or sacrificing your kid (or future kid’s) college fund to do so. Lastly,
the Friends of the Forgotten Grapes has relationships with all the fine wine purveyors
we link to in this section. We know them, we trust them. You can order these wines
from them online right now and be trying them out in the next couple of days. Do
yourself a favor and order from them by using the links below. It’s totally worth
it. And tell them that ForgottenGrapes.com sent you, too.
Though Marsanne wines typically start out with the same pale-to-medium golden hue as Viognier and Roussanne wines, Marsannes actually have enough backbone, acidity, and alcohol in them to allow the wine to age gracefully. It’s one of the chief components that Marsanne adds to white Rhone blends, and when properly aged, Marsanne can turn a rich amber color. Marsanne grapes, which have this same gold-to-amber color that the wines can achieve, have juice that provide quite a bit of depth to their pigment. So while younger Marsanne wine may have the same golden sheen as their white Rhone brethren, it’s the older, more mature Marsannes that have the deep, complex color of a well-aged wine.
Know of a bottle of Marsanne that we should try? Tell us about it in our Comments section.
