Marsanne

[Joe Schmoe]

Thomas Mitchell Marsanne 1996, lightly oaked is a remarkably good drink at the moment, with some nice limey, Semillon characters about it. This, I believe is the second label from the aforementioned Mitchelton winery .I drank this at Roscoff in Belfast.(If you want to try the best 'Pacific Rim meets Classic French' food in Great Britain, go there.)

I am however, a great fan of good Marsanne.

After all, Hermitage Blanc can be sensational, but (and its a big but), Marsanne really only shows its true colours with age. The largest planting of Marsanne in the world is in Goulburn Valley in Victoria, where Mitchelton (only set up in the seventies) and Chateau Tahbilk (one of the most picturesque and certainly one of the oldest wineries in Australia (circa 1860) do most of the growing. I believe they grow 250 ha between them of Marsanne, far out-growing what remains in the Rhone. Largely I agree with WC's comments.
However, if you buy a bottle of Tahbilk Marsanne (92/96/97 all highly recommended) you will be buying a wine made from vines a large proportion of which are well in excess of 100 years old. It is never oaked, although gives the impression that it is, through concentration, I guess. In youth, it has a slightly leesy, sea fresh lemon and apple aroma, as if it were some sort of New World Chablis (I mean this in the literal sense). With age (5 -10 years) it develops into a haunting honey, lemon and lanolin aroma rather like old Hunter Valley Semillons or White Graves. The palate goes through a similar development, starting tight and intense with glacial acidity, but turning mellow after a couple of years, but never losing its citric edge. I know they are not for everyone, as I'm sure readers of R.Parker will know, but they make for some of the most intriguing food pairings that I can remember.

There you go. I've done my bit for Marsanne. I can shut up now....

Joe