Wines made from Marsanne grapes of Rhône méridional
Discover the best wines made with Marsanne as a single variety or as a blend of Rhône méridional.
Marsanne is a white grape variety that originated in Montélimar in the Drôme, several centuries ago. Marsanne is also found in Cassis, Savoie, Languedoc-Roussillon and Saint-Péray in the Ardèche, where it produces remarkable sparkling wines. The warm, sunny climate of the Rhone Valley, Languedoc-Roussillon and Provence, as well as the dry, stony soil, are ideal conditions for its development. Its bunches are quite large and provide small, juicy berries that are sensitive to grey rot and strong winds. These two grape varieties complement each other perfectly: together they give light wines with little acidity, aromas of yellow fruit, white fruit and flowers with notes of honey and liquorice. This is for example what the appellations Saint-Péray, Hermitage, Crozes-Hermitage, Saint-Joseph, Côtes-du-Vallée du Rhône, Corbières, or Cassis express... which represent about 700 hectares.
Côtes du Rhône is a regional appellation in the Rhône Valley in eastern France. It applies to red, rosé and white wines, and includes more than 170 villages. The area follows the course of the Rhône southward for 125 miles (200 km) from Saint-Cyr-sur-le-Rhône to Avignon. A small portion of the wines in the appellation are white wines.
I’d like to say we took advantage of the lockdown and its related commotion to do a stock-take, explore new avenues, turn over intriguing stones, widen and deepen our drinking, taking careful notes as we went. Sadly, no. I won’t say we got stuck in a rut, but we did tend to stick with comfort wines – and “comfort”, in our case, means familiar. Regular readers of this quarterly column can probably guess the labels on the resulting empties. We have a wider range of comfort foods, I’m afraid, than ...
Find Matt Walls’ 22 top-value northern Rhône whites below, and look out for his top 52 northern Rhône reds under £30 which will be published on 11th October. The northern Rhône produces just 5% of the total volume made in the broader Rhône Valley growing area. As demand for these wines increases, it’s not surprising to see prices ticking up. But it’s still possible to find some excellent wines retailing under £30 a bottle in the UK. Scroll down for tasting notes and scores for 22 great val ...
As one of the largest wine making regions in the world, it is not surprising that the Rhône Valley is home to some exceptional wines and when it comes to deciding on which place to visit, you are spoilt for choice. If you’re thinking of taking a trip, we have listed a few of our favourite village/vineyard sites to help you have an unforgettable experience, while sampling the finest wines. Top vineyard sites for red wines The Southern Rhône produces a wide range of premium wines, with red ...