Roussanne Wine

Roussanne can be thin and tart and is not often bottled on its own, being blended with Marsanne wine which has virtually replaced it as the mainstay grape in Rhône blends. It doesn’t sound like much so far but stick with me on this because some of the most glorious, not to be missed, white wines in the Rhone and now in a few hands in California are from this problematic grape. These stellar versions are very close to one another as it is a very narrow interpretation that allows Roussanne to perform well; using barrel fermentation and oak aging used on old vine harvests. The aroma of Roussanne is not overtly fruity but rather ethereal suggesting wild flowers or herbal tea layered atop a butteriness from the barrel fermentation. Roussanne wines and their blends hold up well with cellaring and may be enjoyable a decade or more past the vintage.