Marsanne is the source of some of the Rhône Valley's greatest white wines, but is (perhaps owing to the rarity of white wine from this region) a relatively obscure white wine grape as far as the wine-buying public at large is concerned. It is the Falstaff of white wine grapes: its wine is fat, deeply colored, easy to enjoy, and high in alcohol so it might get in you Falstaffian trouble if you drink too much of it.

Marsanne is likely native to the northern Rhône Valley, but is planted widely across southern France. It is increasing in acreage under vine in the United States, and is revered in Australia, where some of the world's oldest Marsanne vines are still producing grapes.

It has aromatic elements that can include almonds, caramel, honeysuckle, unroasted hazelnuts, and pineapple; flavors include caramel, honey, marzipan, pineapples, plums, saffron. Marsanne is a high-yielding vine, whose grapes possess naturally high grape sugar and relatively low acidity. It is traditionally blended with Roussanne, which has pronounced acidity, to achieve more depth (and to broaden Roussanne...). It is also commonly blended with Viognier and Vermentino (which is known in southern France as Rolle).

Marsanne with Food
Chicken, lobster, pork, smoked trout, pâté, risotto, braised endive, fennel, curry, rich-ish cheese.

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